BY HENRY BELL, 1736-40

Details

A GEORGE II WALNUT BUREAU
BY HENRY BELL, 1736-40
The rectangular top above a hinged slope with moulded edge enclosing a fitted interior of four drawers and pigeon-holes, above four graduated long drawers and on shaped bracket feet, with paper label of 'Early 18th Century English Furniture Kent Gallery Ltd 44 Conduit Street London W.1.' and the top drawer also with paper trade label of 'Henry Bell at the WHITE SWAN' against 'The South Gate in St. Pauls (sic) Church Yard London. Makes and Sells all sorts of ye finest Cabinet Goods, [all so]rts of Looking Glasses, Coach Glasses, & Chairs of all sorts, at Reasonable Rates. [N.B. Old G]lasses [new] Worked & made up Fas[hionable.]', labelled to reverse 'Pickfords/Brooks'
39 ½ in. (100 cm.) high; 30 in. (76 cm.) wide;19 in. (48 cm.) deep

Provenance

Anonymous sale, Christie's, London, 6 July 1995, lot 77.

Literature

A. Heal, The London Furniture Makers, London, 1953, p. 13, and for an illustration of a well-preserved impression of this label, p. 6.
C. Gilbert, Pictorial Dictionary of Marked London Furniture 1700 - 1840, Leeds, 1996, p. 93, fig. 84.

Special notice

This lot will be removed to Christie’s Park Royal. Christie’s will inform you if the lot has been sent offsite. Our removal and storage of the lot is subject to the terms and conditions of storage which can be found at Christies.com/storage and our fees for storage are set out in the table below - these will apply whether the lot remains with Christie’s or is removed elsewhere. Please call Christie’s Client Service 24 hours in advance to book a collection time at Christie’s Park Royal. All collections from Christie’s Park Royal will be by pre-booked appointment only. Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060 Email: cscollectionsuk@christies.com. If the lot remains at Christie’s it will be available for collection on any working day 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. Lots are not available for collection at weekends.

Brought to you by

Peter Horwood

phorwood@christies.com +44 (0)20 7389 2359

Lot Essay

Henry Bell is recorded at the White Swan, St. Paul's Church Yard in 1736-1740. He was the successor in business of Coxed and Woster (see: The Dictionary of English Furniture Makers, Leeds, 1986, p. 61) and used as his trade card a re-designed version of his predecessor's shop sign. Following his death in 1740 he was succeeded by his widow Elizabeth Bell.

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