THE TRAY BY DYSON & BENSON CIRCA 1815, THE STAND LATER

Dyson and Benson are listed in directories 1804 - 18, as 'Royal Japan Manufactuers'. A manufactory at 202 St John's Street, Clerkenwell, had been established in 1803 by Joseph Benson, whose 1808 insurance policy on household goods included 'musical instruments, pictures and prints' (The Dictionary of English Furniture Makers 1660-1840, Leeds, 1986, pp. 66 and 263).
A papier-mâché tray by Dyson & Benson is illustrated in C. Gilbert, The Pictorial Dictionary of Marked London Furniture, 1700-1840, Leeds, 1986, p.185, fig.304. Another bearing their trade stamp was sold Christie's, London, 16 September 1999, lot 36 (£3,450 including premium).