Lot 281
A Scottish early 19th century mahogany lady's writing table,
Auction: 9 December 2005 at 11:00 GMT
Description
bearing the label of Cunningham & McWilliam, Cabinet Makers, Kilmarnock, the super structure three quarter gallery and two open shelves above a dummy fronted up and over cupboard enclosing six birds eye maple drawers flanked by cupboards enclosing pigeonholes and similar drawers, the table with foldover tip enclosing gilt tooled skiver above frieze drawer with internal pen and ink drawer and flanking lopers raised on a square section tapering legs with spade feet
Dimensions
74cm, 117cm, 46cm deep
Footnote
Note; This table conforms closely to the specification of a Lady's Writing Table in the Edinburgh Cabinet and Chair Makers Books of Prices published in 1805 and 1811. It is however finished to an extremely high quality and is of particular note for the label applied to the underside of one of the internal drawers, which reads as follows.
Cunningham & McWilliam, Cabinet Makers
At their New Ware-house, back of the Church-yard, Kilmarnock
Have always ready for inspection, a variety of Trafalgar Dining Tables, Pillar and Claw Sofa, Card, and Pembroke Tables, Dumb Waiters, Cylinder Desks, Straight and Round Fronted Drawers, ... , with a variety of Fashionable Chairs.
A. Mc.Having been employed for a number of years in the most respectable Houses in London, he flatters himself they will be able to give every satisfaction to those who may honour them with their employ; and from the correspondence he has formed in London, he is regularly furnished with the newest Fashions in the Metropolis.
Two similar but less distinguished anonymous writing tables are illustrated in the introduction to the facsimile of the Edinburgh Cabinet and Chair Makers Books of Prices published in 2000, plates 28 and 29, both displaying the distinctive foldover top. This feature can be traced back to a particularly Scottish 18th century form of furniture called a Lady's Closet , effectively a larger cabinet version of this piece, which also incoporated this characteristic foldover writing surface.
Ayrshire had a strong tradition of fine cabinet making, Ayr itself producing the firms of Matthew Morison, who provided the celebrated furniture for Blairquhan, and Gordon and Watson, who frequently applied labels to their furniture similar to the one found on this piece (see the dressing table from Sundrum Castle, Ayr, sold in these rooms as part of the Pallinsburn House sale 4th May 2005, lot 561).
Literature; Sebastian Pryke The 18th Century Furniture Trade in Edinburgh Phd thesis St Andrews University 1995