Lot 37
£3,276
Auction: 11 October 2023 at 10:00 BST
walnut, inlaid with boxwood, amboyna and fruitwood timbers
Provenance; Possibly William Harrison (18**-1879), Samlesbury Hall, 1866
Paul Reeves, London 1992
Anissa Helou, Christies South Kensington, 19th May 1999, lot 602
Harris Lindsay, London, until 2000
Private British Collection until 2022
Paul Shutler
Literature: Croston, James The History of the Ancient Hall of Samlesbury in Lancashire', 1871 Croston for an engraving of the Great Hall showing a number of pieces of furniture that appear to follow Bevan's designs.
Sotheby's, London The Best of British - Design from the 19th and 20th Centuries - Paul Reeves: The Auction, 20th March 2008, lot 81 for a related large cabinet, also potentially from the Harrison commission (£12,000).
Coleman B. The Best of British Arts & Crafts, Atglen, PA, 2004, p.69
Note: Along with Bruce Talbert, who exhibited a handful of 'medieval' or 'old English' pieces (including the Pericles cabinet now in the Metropolitan Museum, New York) on the Holland & Son stand at the 1867 Paris Exhibition, it is widely accepted that Charles Bevan's 1865 designs for Titus Salt Jr marked a turning point in British taste.
This cabinet was one of a pair, which were split up between two friends shopping in London at Harris Lindsay circa 2000. The other cabinet was purchased by the academic collector Peter Rose (recently sold at Christie's London, 30th September 2021, Lot 110, as part of The Peter Rose and Albert Gallichan Collection (£12,000). Stamped 'GILLOW & CO' '2324' the Christie's example has a note in the provenance mentioning Samlesbury Hall in Lancashire. Although originally built in the 14th century, Samlesbury Hall was acquired by the industrialist Joseph Harrison (1805-1880) in 1862 and given to his son William Harrison (18** -1879). William Harrison spent a vast sum of money refurbishing the interiors and furnishing the hall. The Gillow estimate sketch books, held at the Westminster City archives, have records of him ordering numerous pieces of reformed gothic furniture in 1866. The commission includes pieces in Bevan's distinctive style but also in Pugin's.