Lot 120
SIR ROBERT LORIMER (1864-1929)
OAK AND BURR OAK CENTRE TABLE, EARLY 20TH CENTURY
Auction: 15 June 2011 at 12:00 BST
Description
made by Whytock & Reid, Edinburgh, the square top with inset angles and burr inlay raised on scrolling cut-out supports linked by corresponding stretchers
Dimensions
84cm square, 72cm high
Footnote
Provenance: Sir James Morton, Craigiehall, Edinburgh and by family descent
Literature: Morton, J., 'Three Generations in a Family Textile Firm', London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1971, pages 314-5
Note: Craigiehall, a William & Mary mansion just outside Edinburgh, was leased for the first time in 1926 from the Earl of Rosebery to James Morton, the wealthy textile merchant and son of Alexander Morton, for a 21 year period. By then, the house had lain empty for more than ten years and extensive renovations were carried out. Sir Robert Lorimer was commissioned for work to the house, and a water turbine was built beneath the grotto to provide electricity to the house and stables, which were renovated as accommodation for Morton's textile workers; a craft studio was also established. The present lot 'a fine square table of Lorimer's design' stood in the entrance hall.