The ink stand, right, to be offered at Sworders of Stansted Mountfitchet on February 3 dates from around 1815 and illustrates Bullock’s flair for dramatic stylised design with its finely worked and engraved brass inlay and mother of pearl inset into a red tortoishell ground. A similar rectangular inkstand with an ebonised rather than a tortoiseshell ground was sold by Christie’s as part of contents of Great Tew Park, Oxfordshire, in May 1997 – the sale generally credited for putting Bullock on the map. It made £7700, selling to the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool.
However several versions of this circular type, measuring 151/2/in (39.5cm) diameter are known includng that sold by Sotheby’s in November 2001 for £23,500.
Sworders’ example has some damage (some lifting brass and missing tortoiseshell and carries an estimate of £8000-12,000.
Ink stand coming up at Sworders
Although he remains a somewhat shadowy figure, during the last 25 years George Bullock (1777/8-1818) has emerged as perhaps the foremost English designer and cabinet maker of the early 19th century. Amongst many questions still remaining unanswered about Bullock’s life are how much he actually designed himself (no records of his firm survive) just who was his partner Colonel Charles Fraser, which country houses commissions did he undertake, and did he commit suicide?
