SECOND QUARTER 18TH CENTURY, SCOTTISH OR IRISH

Details

A GEORGE II MAHOGANY BUREAU-CABINET
SECOND QUARTER 18TH CENTURY, SCOTTISH OR IRISH
The arched scrolled pediment with central shell cresting with cavetto-moulded frieze, above a pair of panelled doors enclosing two adjustable later mahogany shelves above a further mahogany shelf with pigeon holes below, the base section with a hinged fall-front, enclosing a fitted interior with drawers and pigeon holes, above four graduated drawers, on shaped ogee bracket feet, the handles apparently original, the left hand door with a label inscribed in ink 'Bureau of/John, Duke of Argyll Greenwich Who died 1743/
Culloden 1897', the carcase below the lowest drawer open, replacements to the feet, one roundel in the pediment later, one drawer in the fitted interior inscribed in ink 'A.R. Bharrand Culloden 1897'
88 in. (223.5 cm.) high; 41½ in. (105.5 cm.) wide; 23½ in. (60 cm.) deep

Provenance

John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll (1680-1743), by whom reputedly presented to
Duncan Forbes (1685-1747), Culloden House, Scotland and by descent.
Anonymous sale, Sotheby's, London, 2 June 2000, lot 61.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

This bureau-cabinet may have originated from either Scotland or Ireland. The shell motif which features prominently on the pediment is a typically Irish feature seen on related Irish cabinets. For example, an Irish bureau cabinet of circa 1750-60, with similar scrolled pediment decorated with roundels and centred by a shell (illustrated in The Knight of Glin and J. Peill, Irish Furniture, 2007, p. 251, pl. 191). Another related example is an Irish George III mahogany bureau-cabinet displaying similarly panelled doors and fall front (offered anonymously, Christie's, London, 19 November 1987, lot 145).
There are also comparable examples of Scottish bureau-cabinets, such as a Scottish bureau-cabinet at Malleny House, Edinburgh featuring a similar drawer arrangement (illustrated in F. Bamford, A Dictionary of Edinburgh Furniture Makers, Leeds, 1983, pl. 84).
One final comparative example is a George II mahogany bureau-cabinet with features in common with the current lot, such as a scrolled pediment, ogee bracket feet and shaped apron. Its pediment is centred by a cartouche bearing the arms of the Thors of Thorp, Yorkshire (offered anonymously, Sotheby's, London, 30 June 2004, lot 99).
The bureau cabinet was reputedly given by John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll, to his friend Duncan Forbes who managed his estates in Argyll.

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