ATTRIBUTED TO GILLOWS, CIRCA 1815

The attribution of this bookcase to the London and Lancaster firm of Gillows is drawn from its characteristic restrained ebony line-inlay and cut-corner pattern doors. This elegant and yet simple decoration relates to documented furniture supplied by the firm to Wilbraham Egerton (1781-1856) for Tatton Park, Cheshire, whose father, William Tatton Egerton, had also been an earlier client of Gillow. Cut-cornered molded panels are found on the bookcases supplied for The Library at Tatton Park (the Gillow design, along with a photograph of the bookcases in situ are illustrated in N. Goodison and J. Hardy, 'Gillows at Tatton Park', Furniture History, plates 7a and 6b respectively). 'Grecian' couches' and curricle chairs supplied to Tatton also feature this simple ebony inlay (op.cit, pl. 15a-16b).