Bookcase
1806 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
Tall bookcases with solid doors in the bottom half and glazed doors in the upper section were quite common in British furniture of around 1800. This example is unusual in that it is low, decorated with Classical busts and inlaid with ebony.
Places
The Prince of Wales (later King George IV) was given Carlton House as his official London residence in 1783. He began a programme of building and decoration which continued until the demolition of the house in 1826. As the site sloped, the building contained rooms with low ceilings, including the library, below the principal floor on the garden front. In 1806 the library was provided with new furniture at a cost of £820 3s, which included a set of ebony and ivory bookcases with matching tables, and four of these bookcases.
People
William Marsh (active 1775-1810) and Thomas Tatham (1763-1818) were partners in a very successful firm of cabinetmakers and upholsterers. They carried out major commissions for the Prince of Wales at Brighton Pavilion and at Carlton House. C. H. Tatham (1772-1842), brother of Thomas, was sent to Rome by the architect Henry Holland (1745-1806) in 1794 to collect Classical fragments. Tatham's drawings of these, published as Etchings of Ancient Ornamental Architecture in 1799-1800, provided designers and craftsmen with ideas for furniture and other pieces in the Neo-classical style.
Tall bookcases with solid doors in the bottom half and glazed doors in the upper section were quite common in British furniture of around 1800. This example is unusual in that it is low, decorated with Classical busts and inlaid with ebony.
Places
The Prince of Wales (later King George IV) was given Carlton House as his official London residence in 1783. He began a programme of building and decoration which continued until the demolition of the house in 1826. As the site sloped, the building contained rooms with low ceilings, including the library, below the principal floor on the garden front. In 1806 the library was provided with new furniture at a cost of £820 3s, which included a set of ebony and ivory bookcases with matching tables, and four of these bookcases.
People
William Marsh (active 1775-1810) and Thomas Tatham (1763-1818) were partners in a very successful firm of cabinetmakers and upholsterers. They carried out major commissions for the Prince of Wales at Brighton Pavilion and at Carlton House. C. H. Tatham (1772-1842), brother of Thomas, was sent to Rome by the architect Henry Holland (1745-1806) in 1794 to collect Classical fragments. Tatham's drawings of these, published as Etchings of Ancient Ornamental Architecture in 1799-1800, provided designers and craftsmen with ideas for furniture and other pieces in the Neo-classical style.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 7 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Burr yew veneer, mahogany and pine, inlaid with ebony, with marble top, bronze busts and ormolu (gilt-bronze) mounts; replacement silk panels to doors |
| Brief description | Bookcase, Marsh & Tatham for Carlton House, English; 1806 |
| Physical description | Bookcase; pollard yew inlaid with ebony, bronze, and ormolu mounts; statuary marble slab. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Inventory mark of George IV; inscribed 'No. 1' |
| Gallery label |
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| Object history | This bookcase, in the Greek style, was made for the library of Carlton House, London, the home of the Prince of Wales, later the Prince Regent. The furniture was supplied by the firm of William Marsh and Thomas Tatham, possibly to designs by Charles HeathcoteTatham, William's brother, who published an influential book of Classical designs in 1799. |
| Summary | Object Type Tall bookcases with solid doors in the bottom half and glazed doors in the upper section were quite common in British furniture of around 1800. This example is unusual in that it is low, decorated with Classical busts and inlaid with ebony. Places The Prince of Wales (later King George IV) was given Carlton House as his official London residence in 1783. He began a programme of building and decoration which continued until the demolition of the house in 1826. As the site sloped, the building contained rooms with low ceilings, including the library, below the principal floor on the garden front. In 1806 the library was provided with new furniture at a cost of £820 3s, which included a set of ebony and ivory bookcases with matching tables, and four of these bookcases. People William Marsh (active 1775-1810) and Thomas Tatham (1763-1818) were partners in a very successful firm of cabinetmakers and upholsterers. They carried out major commissions for the Prince of Wales at Brighton Pavilion and at Carlton House. C. H. Tatham (1772-1842), brother of Thomas, was sent to Rome by the architect Henry Holland (1745-1806) in 1794 to collect Classical fragments. Tatham's drawings of these, published as Etchings of Ancient Ornamental Architecture in 1799-1800, provided designers and craftsmen with ideas for furniture and other pieces in the Neo-classical style. |
| Bibliographic reference | Bowett, Adam, Wood in British Furniture-Making 1400-1900. An Illustrated Historical Dictionary (Wetherby: Oblong Creative Ltd. in association with the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew, 2012. ISBN 978-0-9556576 7 2, p. 317., fig. Y7. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.102:1 to 7-1978 |
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| Record created | April 2, 2001 |
| Record URL |
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