Antique Four Door Breakfront Bookcase by Edwards & Roberts 19th C

This is a beautiful antique top quality Sheraton Revival flame mahogany four door breakfront bookcase, masterfully crafted in rich mahogany by the world renowned London cabinet makers, Edwards & Roberts, Circa 1890 in date.

The bookcase features a rectangular dentil moulded cornice above a pair of astragal glazed doors flanked by similar single doors each enclosing four adjustable shelves.

The lower part with a rectangular moulded top above a drawer flanked by a drawer to each side, with four flame figured panelled doors.

The bookcase is elegantly raised on on short square tapering feet and is complete with the original brass handles, working locks and keys.

It bears the all important ivorine retailer's label for:

Edwards & Roberts,

Wardour Street, 126 Piccadilly,

532 Oxford Street, London

Provenance:

Mrs Ramus, 25 Monmouth St. London W.C.2

Purchased from :

S & H Jewell, 131, 132 High Holborn, London WC1 12 November 1948 for £105

See copy of the original invoice.

Condition:

In excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned polished and waxed in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation.

Dimensions in cm:

Height 229 x Width 180 x Depth 46

Dimensions in inches:

Height 7 foot, 6 inches x Width 5 foot, 11 inches x Depth 1 foot, 6 inches

Edwards & Roberts

The firm Edwards & Roberts was one of the best English antique furniture cabinet makers of the second half of the eighteenth century. The company was founded in 1845 and by 1854 was trading as ‘Edwards & Roberts’, 21 Wardour Street, Antique and Modern Cabinet Makers and Importers of Ancient Furniture’. By 1892 they occupied more than a dozen buildings in Wardour Street, where they continued to trade until the end of the century.

They became one of the leading London cabinet makers and retailers producing high quality furniture and working in a variety of styles, both modern and revivalist. Their business also involved retailing, adapting and restoring the finest antique furniture and there are many examples of their earlier furniture with later embellishments bearing their stamp. The quality of timber used was always the best quality with fine burr walnuts, finely figured mahogany and lighter toned satinwood as they specialised in marquetry, inlay and ormolu.

Flame Mahogany

Thomas Sheraton - 18th century furniture designer, once characterized mahogany as "best suited to furniture where strength is demanded as well as a wood that works up easily, has a beautiful figure and polishes so well that it is an ornament to any room in which it may be placed." Matching his words to his work, Sheraton designed much mahogany furniture. The qualities that impressed Sheraton are particularly evident in a distinctive pattern of wood called "flame mahogany."

The flame figure in the wood is revealed by slicing through the face of the branch at the point where it joins another element of the tree.

S & H Jewell,

were fine quality cabinet makers who were established in 1830. They were a family business who worked from their premises at 29-31 Little Queen Street, Holborn, in London and then later to Parker Street, LONDON. W.C.2. They are recorded to have sold furniture to the Arts and Crafts home, Standen House, East Grinstead, Sussex and the receipt dated 1st May 1894, states the company was founded in 1830 but there are not many records of their earlier pieces. They also restored early pieces of antique furniture and re sold them in their London shop. They were also renowned for restoring and selling older pieces of antique furniture in their shop.

Our reference: A3542