Such a piece will be offered at Bonhams’ sale of Fine English and Continental Furniture and Works of Art in London on February 11: a Regency mahogany secretaire cabinet that originally belonged to Benjamin Buck Greene (1808-1902), co-owner of Buck & Greene’s brewery, a director and governor of the Bank of England, and great grandfather of the novelist Graham.
Graham Greene wrote The Man Within at the desk while it was still in his father’s possession, and it has been passed down through the family to the consignor.
Crossbanded in satinwood and kingwood with boxwood stringing, the cabinet is estimated to fetch between £3000 and £5000.
Other interestingly provenanced lots to be offered include a chiffonier (est. £2000-£3000) and a card table (est. £800-£1200) – two fine examples of Victorian satinwood furniture bearing Queen Victoria’s inventory stamp VR, KH, O, 1866 indicating that they were commissioned for Kent House in Cowes and attributed to the esteemed furniture makers Holland & Sons.
Twenty two lots of the sale comprise a selection from the dining room of J. Walter Thompson, the international advertising firm. These will include a pair of decorative giltwood mirrors.
The writer’s friend
It’s QUESTIONABLE how much influence a piece of furniture could have upon the writer using it, but certainly when the writer in question is Graham Greene, a writer of that fame can certainly influence the fate of a piece of furniture.
