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On loan

  • On display at Powderham Castle, Devon

Bookcase

1740 (made)
Artist/Maker
Channon, John (maker)
Place of origin
London (made)

The cabinetmaker John Channon supplied this bookcase and its pair to Sir William Courtenay in 1740. They were made for his new library, on the first floor of Powderham Castle, Devon. The technique of inlaying brass into veneers of wood was fashionable in London between about 1735 and 1760. John Channon, who worked in London, is the best-known maker who used this technique. This is only because he marked these bookcases with engraved brass plaques carrying his name and the date. Other makers used the same techniques but much of their work is now anonymous.

On loan to Powderham Castle, Devon.

Object details

Category
Furniture
Object type
Bookcase
Materials and techniques
Veneered with padouk, on a carcase of oak and pine, with brass marquetry inlay and carved, gilded ornament
Pine
Padouk
Brass
Oak
Marquetry
Veneering
Gilding
Carving
Brief description
Two-tiered with double doors, John Channon, London, 1740. RF:85/325
Physical description
Two-tiered bookcase with double doors, raised on a deep plinth supported on carved giltwood dolphins (the plinth added in the 19th century). The bookcase is in the form of a doorcase, flanked by Corinthian columns and surmounted by an arched, broken pediment. The bookcase is set with adjustable shelves and the doors are filled with gilt wire.
Dimensions
  • Height: 383.5cm
  • Width: 250cm
  • Depth: 104cm
Credit line
Purchase funded by the National Heritage Memorial Fund
Object history
Object sampling carried out by Jo Darrah, V&A Science; drawer/slide reference 4/46.
Summary
The cabinetmaker John Channon supplied this bookcase and its pair to Sir William Courtenay in 1740. They were made for his new library, on the first floor of Powderham Castle, Devon. The technique of inlaying brass into veneers of wood was fashionable in London between about 1735 and 1760. John Channon, who worked in London, is the best-known maker who used this technique. This is only because he marked these bookcases with engraved brass plaques carrying his name and the date. Other makers used the same techniques but much of their work is now anonymous.

On loan to Powderham Castle, Devon.
Bibliographic references
  • Hayward, John, 'The Channon Family of Exeter and London', in Victoria and Albert Museum Bulletin, April 1966, vol. II, no. 2, pp. 64-70.
  • Gilbert, Christopher and Murdoch, Tessa eds., John Channon and brass-inlaid furniture 1730-1760. New Haven and London, Yale University Press, in association with Leeds City Art Galleries and the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1993. ISBN 0-300-05812-8, pl. XXIII, pl. 4, pp. 106-113.
  • 'Recent acquisitions of furniture and woodwork at the Victoria and Albert Museum'. Burlington Magazine June 1993, vol. CXXXV, no. 1083, pp. 443-448. The pair tohis item (W.1A-1987) illustrated as item XI.
  • 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. 207, fig. R.14
Collection
Furniture and Woodwork Collection
Accession number
W.1A-1987

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Record createdFebruary 4, 2003
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O73830/bookcase-channon-john/
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