A walnut wardrobe

DESIGNED BY J.S. CHAPPLE AFTER WILLIAM BURGES, FOR THE WALNUT BEDROOM AT CARDIFF CASTLE, 1891

Details

A walnut wardrobe
Designed by J.S. Chapple after William Burges, for the Walnut Bedroom at Cardiff Castle, 1891
Pierced and castellated frieze cornice, twin tall cupboards flanking central architectural recess fronted by three carved columns and with marble floor and mirrored back with central shelf, two small drawers each carved with four moths and set with ring handle backed with plate in the form of formalised moth wings, the recess above shallow drawer carved with the arms of the Marquess of Bute, and further deep drawer, the wardrobe set on lower portion with central long drawer flanked by smaller drawers on either side, the whole carved with perpendicular arches and linen-fold panelling with recessed roundels above, each finely detailed with a moth in flight, each door with frieze of small square panels similarly carved above a row of open flower heads and larger roundels carved with trefoils within circles and flowers between, the doors with castellated lock plates and large circular swing handles, the lower drawer ring handles with backplates in the form of formalised moths wings as before, the interior panelling and drawers with original pencil cabinet makers notations
78in. (198cm.) high; 72 5/8in. (184.3cm.) max. width; 19 7/8in. (50.5cm.) depth upper portion; 26¾in. (68.2cm.) depth lower portion

Lot Essay

Chapple's design for the wardrobe is here reproduced courtesy of the National Museum and Gallery, Cardiff.
The archives at Cardiff Castle record that in 1890 the Marquess of Bute instructed that certain unfinished projects be completed at the castle and these were undertaken, in keeping with Burges' earlier schemes, by Burges' assistant John Starling Chapple. Chapple had been earlier employed to complete the work at Castell Coch after Burges' death in 1881, and all of the furniture there was designed by him.
The metalwork applied to the present piece is identical to that designed by Burges circa 1875 for the wardrobe in Lord Bute's own bedroom, and the overall design of the piece, including the use of the moth motif - a playful allusion to the role of the wardrobe - clearly evokes Burges' original. Burges' own notes indicate that, for a similar piece of furniture, the lower drawer section would have been topped by leather or velvet to create a shallow seat.
The Cardiff Castle inventories record and value the wardrobe as follows: 1901 (no value given), 1920 (£175), 1934 (£170), and 1948 (£40).
The present wardrobe was sold from Cardiff Castle in June 1949 by Messrs. Stephenson and Alexander, for £22.

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