Irish Regency Rosewood Writing Table by Williams & Gibton
An Irish Regency rosewood writing table, made by Williams and Gibton for Viceregal Lodge, Dublin, Ireland, circa 1820, leather writing surface two faux drawers and two fitted drawers, stamped to drawer V.R.L 72 B . Williams & Gibton 9315 B .R.L. Frame under drawers V.R.L P, side upright support P V.R.L /V.R.L, 29.13 in. high, 28.35 in. wide, 22.83 in. deep. Note. In 1821, King George IV became the first monarch to visit Ireland since the battle of Boyne. He was also the first Monarch to stay at the Viceregal Lodge. As one writer reported: 'His Majesty, during his constant residence, though he held his court at Dublin Castle, since which period it is most generally styled the Royal lodge is entered between two gate-lodges of a very elegant and chaste design. Viceroy Richard Colley Wellesley, whose younger brother Arthur was the Duke of Wellington, arrived in Dublin (where he was born) in 1821 for the first of two terms as Viceroy. He came with considerable experience, having been Governor General of India from 1798 to 1805 and Foreign Secretary in the British Government from 1809 to 1812. After failing to become Prime Minister in 1812, he had turned down the position of Viceroy in Ireland and retired but changed his mind nine years later.
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- Faux - A French word meaning "false", but when used in decorative arts, the intention is not to deceive, but to simulate the decorative effects of the more expensive material it is imitating. The term " faux bois" meaning "false wood" refers to a furniture item that has been decorated with a marked grain (woodgrain finish) to imitate a more expensive timber.
- Circa - A Latin term meaning 'about', often used in the antique trade to give an approximate date for the piece, usually considered to be five years on either side of the circa year. Thus, circa 1900 means the piece was made about 1900, probably between 1895 and 1905. The expression is sometimes abbreviated to c.1900.
- Regency Period - The Regency period in English furniture design refers to the period when King George III, was declared unfit to rule in 1811, and his son ruled as proxy as Prince Regent, until 1820, and then, after the death of his father as George IV until his death in 1830. The Regency period was preceded by the Georgian period (George I, George II, and George III: 1714 - 1811), and was followed by the William IV period, which only lasted until 1837 when William IV died as was succeeded by Queen Victoria.
- George Iv - George IV (1762 – 1830) was king of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and king of Hanover from 1820, until his own death in 1830. From 1811 until his accession in 1820, he served as Prince Regent during his father's final mental illness.
In English furniture design, his reign from 1811 to 1830 is known as the Regency period. - Turning - Any part of a piece of furniture that has been turned and shaped with chisels on a lathe. Turned sections include legs, columns, feet, finials, pedestals, stretchers, spindles etc. There have been many varieties and fashions over the centuries: baluster, melon, barley-sugar, bobbin, cotton-reel, rope-twist, and so on. Split turning implies a turned section that has been cut in half lengthwise and applied to a cabinet front as a false decorative support.
- Rosewood - A dense timber that varies in shade to very light brown to almost black. When rosewood is cut and sanded the colour of the timber will turn black, and after polishing and exposure to daylight, the surface will gradually lighten over time to light brown with black streaks.
The name comes from the odour emanating from the timber when it is planed, sanded or cut.
Rosewood was very popular for use in Victorian furniture in the second half of the 19th century, and at that time most of the rosewood was imported from Brazil. However it also grows in India and Indonesia.
It is used in the sold for chairs and table legs, but for carcase furniture such as side cabinets and bookcases, and for table tops it is always used as a veneer. - Signed or Stamped - A signed piece of furniture may mean that the maker has signed (and hopefully dated) the piece in the same way that we sign a cheque, but more likely, that it bears evidence of the name of the maker, wholesaler or retailer as a paper label, metal plaque, impressed into the timber or in later pieces after about 1880, stamped onto the timber with an ink stamp.
The 'signature' or stamp will always be in an unobtrusive position: under the top of a table, on the underside of the rails of a chair, inside a drawer or on the back.
The fact that a piece is 'signed' considerably enhances its value. Signed Australian furniture is extremely rare, and for imported furniture, it is a mark of quality of the item, as only the items by the top makers or retailers were 'signed'
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