Sabine, Lady Winn's (1734 - 1798) Writing Table - 24th June 1766
workshop of Chippendale & Rannie (fl. 1754 - 1766)
Category
Furniture
Date
24 Jun 1766 (invoiced)
Materials
Tulipwood and rosewood veneers on a mahogany and deal carcase, oak, green baize, brass, later silk to screen
Measurements
73.5 x 55.5 x 41 cm
Place of origin
St. Martin's Lane
Order this imageCollection
Nostell Priory, West Yorkshire
NT 959738
Summary
A lady's writing table, English, 1766, made by Thomas Chippendale (1718 - 1799) for Sabine, Lady Winn (1734 - 1798), wife of Sir Rowland Winn, 5th Baronet (1739 - 1785). Made of tulipwood and rosewood veneers on a pine carcase, and with crossbanding. The top fitted to the rear with a retractable fire screen lined with modern silk made to match the pattern of the original. The front faced as a false drawer beneath a baize-lined writing slide, a drawer to the right frieze fitted with silver-capped ink bottles. On four delicate cabriole legs. With faint pencil inscriptions to the underside of the board which forms the base of the drawer.
Full description
Made for 11 St James's Square, the Winns' London townhouse, and listed in the accounts for 24th June 1766 as 'A Lady's commode writing table made of tulip and rosewood with a slider cover'd with Green Cloth', £5 14s 0d. (Entry adapted by Megan Wheeler, January 2018)
Provenance
Purchased by Sir Rowland Winn, 5th Baronet, referred to in accounts on 23rd June 1766 and thence by descent until accepted by HM Treasury in lieu of death duties on the estate of Rowland Winn, 4th Baron Oswald (1916 - 1984), 1986.
Makers and roles
workshop of Chippendale & Rannie (fl. 1754 - 1766), cabinetmaker workshop of Thomas Chippendale (fl. 1766 - 1771 when operating without a business partner), cabinetmaker
Exhibition history
Thomas Chippendale, 1718-1779: a celebration of British craftsmanship and design, Leeds City Museum, Leeds, 2018
References
Boynton and Goodison, 1968: Lindsay Boynton, and Nicholas Goodison. “Thomas Chippendale at Nostell Priory.” Furniture History 4 (1968): pp.10-61., p. 39 Boynton and Goodison, 1969: Lindsay Boynton and Nicholas Goodison. “The furniture of Thomas Chippendale at Nostell Priory.” Burlington Magazine III June 1969: pp.350-60., p. 351 Gilbert (1978): Christopher Gilbert, The Life & Work of Thomas Chippendale (1978), 2 volumes., Vol. I, p. 170 and Vol. II, Figure 436 K. Bristol, ‘A Tale of Two Sales: Sir Rowland Winn and No.11 St James’s Square, London, 1766-1787’, in History of Retailing and Consumption 2.1 (2016), 9 – 24. West Yorkshire History Centre, WYW 1352/3/3/1/5/3/63.