Lot 282
A.W.N PUGIN (1812-1852) FOR THE NEW PALACE OF WESTMINSTER
GOTHIC REVIVAL LIBRARY TABLE, CIRCA 1850
Auction: Day One inc Contents from a London Apartment | Lots 197 to 333 | Wednesday 15th October
Description
oak, with iron handles, carved to each end in bas relief VR in a roundel, stencilled marks under ST AT ARMS H CO NO.**5
Dimensions
102cm wide, 73cm high, 70cm deep
Provenance
Christie's King Street, 15th April 1987
Footnote
Literature: Furniture in the House of Lords: A Report by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London 1974, pl. V where a similar table is illustrated.
There are several examples and sizes of tables of the type offered here in the Palace of Westminster. These tables were designed to function as simple desks or general-purpose tables and were made by both Gillow & Co. and Holland & Sons.
The office of Serjeant at Arms, established in 1415, is one of the oldest parliamentary posts in the United Kingdom. Traditionally charged with maintaining order and overseeing the security of the House of Commons, the role today is largely ceremonial. At the time this table was made, the position was likely held by Lord Charles Russell (1807–1894), a British soldier and Whig politician. Russell represented Bedfordshire in Parliament from 1837 to 1841 and again in 1847, before being appointed Serjeant at Arms in 1848 — a post he held until 1875.
