DESIGNED BY E.W. GODWIN FOR DROMORE CASTLE, IRELAND, MANUFACTURED BY WILLIAM WATT, CIRCA 1869/70

Details

An Oak Bookcase
Designed by E.W. Godwin for Dromore Castle, Ireland, manufactured by William Watt, circa 1869/70
Three open shelves surmounted by pierced console finials, supported above the base by arched brackets with central turned columns, the lower part with twin doors mounted with brass handles, square section legs with scrolled feet
88in. (223.5cm.) high; 48¾in. (123.8cm.) wide; 21¼in. (54cm.) deep

Provenance

Dromore Castle until the 1940s.
The family of Samuel Beckett.
An employee of the Beckett family.
Christie's, London, 31 October 1996, Lot 31.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

Cf: Elisabeth Aslin, The Furniture Designs of E.W. Godwin, London, 1986, Cat. No. 10 (p. 43)
See also: Susan Weber Soros, The Secular Furniture of E.W. Godwin, Yale, 1999, pp. 190-191, Cat. Nos. 311.I-311.III

The present bookcase is one of six examples produced for Dromore Castle to Godwin's design of 1869. Dromore Castle was commissioned by William Hale James Charles Perry, 3rd Earl of Limerick, in 1865, Godwin being responsible for both the exterior and interior designs. The furniture for Dromore was manufactured to Godwin's designs by the firms of Reuben Burkitt and William Watt. For a discussion of individual attribution please refer to Susan Weber Soros (as above).

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