High Quality Holland & Sons Dressing Table and Chest C. 1850

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High Quality Holland & Sons Dressing Table and Chest C. 1850

About the Item

A beautiful mid 19th century figured mahogany dressing chest on four original concealed oak and brass casters. The front with graduated drawers – two rows of faux over two true working drawers – and the cupboard below retaining original lock and original single removable shelf, all in solid mahogany, the shelf with a polished mahogany shaped front which was a finer detail added to conceal the grain of the cut shelf. The substantial top lifts to reveal the inner finished dressing table – for washbowl and combs – and the original framed mirror, in very good condition, reflecting perfectly with only a few small areas of degradation to the silver. The substantial brass hinges are stamped ‘Huxley & Ching’ (a firm whose ironmongery has been found on several high quality pieces by Holland and Sons. Please see Christies Auction 3137, Lot 407 and Woolley and Wallis, 11 March 2008, lot 318). The mirror has a hinged mahogany stand at the rear which lifts and slots into a recessed ladder strip, giving several tilt positions. The brass pinch mirror lock again extremely substantial and all the elements are of particularly good quality and remain in perfect working order. The inner dressing table provides wonderful and extremely well concealed place to hide important things! The doors and two drawers open and close smoothly and properly, the drawers retain their original linings and secure locks, the right hand door is stamped Holland & Son and both doors have fielded panels and well finished backs, the left door has inset thumb locks to top and bottom and the right drawer retains its original secure lock also. The mahogany throughout having developed a beautifully rich colour. No worm or significant issues. The handles appear original. Small losses and old stains and marks. Small cut out in backboard (probably to allow for cables) now repaired. Holland & Sons was a highly respected and renowned London company of cabinet makers and upholsterers akin to Gillows in quality. The firm showed pieces at all of the major international exhibitions throughout the 19th century including the 1851 Great Exhibition and the 1855 Paris Exhibition. Its furniture designs reflect its partnerships with a number of leading artists and architects of the period and Holland & Sons furniture is known for highest quality timbers and fine beautiful cabinet work. This is a very lovely fully stamped example. Often, as with Gillows, the furniture it produced was not marked and much can only be attributed to these firms based on design and quality. This chest was made in c. 1860 and although heavy it is mobile on its casters and highly functional offering a large amount of storage. It is very practical and usable for any room and the quality shines. Dimensions are: 36 inches wide, 21 inches deep and 38 inches high. For metric please multiply by 2.5.

Creator:
Holland & Sons (Cabinetmaker)
Dimensions:
Height: 38 in (96.52 cm)Width: 36 in (91.44 cm)Depth: 21 in (53.34 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Mahogany
Period:
19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1850
Condition:
Repaired: Small cut out in backboard (probably to allow for cables) now repaired. Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Heathfield, GB
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU7564230988752

Shop All Holland & Sons

Holland & Sons

One of the most influential and successful British furniture manufacturers of the Victorian era, Holland & Sons was renowned for its superb quality. It would be difficult to find collectors unfamiliar with Holland — or its rival, Gillows of Lancaster and London — as the company was a leader in neoclassical and Gothic furniture and interior design in the early to mid-1800s, using only the richest of hardwoods and the finest of metals. Antique Holland & Sons chairs, storage cabinets and tables frequently featured rare-specimen wood marquetry and engraved ivory inlays. The manufacturer’s designs grace the collections of museums around the world and can still be found in the royal homes of Europe.

Two cabinetmakers, Stephen Taprell and William Holland, opened a small joinery in 1815 near Buckingham Palace in London, England, and named it Taprell & Holland. Holland was a relative of the acclaimed Regency architect Henry Holland, the famous gardener and landscape architect Lancelot "Capability" Brown, and the former Member of Parliament Richard Bateman-Robson. This familial edge provided the needed influence for the company among the aristocracy, and their business saw immediate prosperity.

The firm traded under the name Taprell, Holland & Son for a period, and when Taprell retired in 1843, Holland took over the company and changed the name to Holland & Sons. Holland decided to diversify and began offering a broad range of services to the very wealthy — arranging furniture and household decoration rentals, managing funerals and even providing plumbing services. By 1851, they employed over 350 people.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert commissioned Holland & Sons to supply the entire furnishings of their private homes — Osborne House, Balmoral Castle, Sandringham House and Marlborough House. The Monarch’s satisfaction with Holland and Son’s furnishings led to the company being granted the Royal Warrant of Appointment, affording the owners the opportunity to display the coveted “By Appointment of HM The Queen” mark and her Coat of Arms above the entrance to their offices.

Other Holland & Sons furniture commissions of note include the London Union Club, the Athenaeum Hotel in London, Arundel Castle in West Essex and the All Souls College in Oxford. The firm was also involved in the funerals of Prince Albert and the mother of Queen Victoria — both in 1861 — and contributed works to the 1901 coronation of Edward VII when they made the throne for his wife, Queen Alexandra.

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