This piece seems to have been made originally as a bookcase, with shelves in the lower section (their fittings now concealed by later veneer on the insides) and a partition in the upper section, dividing it into two cupboards. The date it was made is open to question. The use of rosewood veneer, the carved lion feet, and the sphinx-head metal mounts are all typical of Regency furniture, but other features seem uncharacteristic of the early 19th century, including the form with a tapered lower section, and the curious placing of the sphinx heads over spiral-reeded columns. This might suggest that it is a creation of the Regency Revival, perhaps from the 1860s, or perhaps from after 1890, when the style was especially popular. However, the screws used in its construction are more consistent with early 19th-century manufacture, so it may after all be a rather unusual piece of 'original' Regency furniture.