The rare late 19th century Arts & Crafts adjustable oak reading table is offered for £2750 in the show, A Volume of Libraries – An Open and Shut Case. It features an easel top, under which the darker wood is deeply scratched with names such as Worsley, Note, Adam and Longley.
The top was recycled from an earlier item (the date 1851 is also visible underneath), and though its origins are unknown, the dealership’s David Harvey suggests that it may once have been a church pew.
The exhibition from March 16- 31 features objects that reflect the quintessential ‘English look’, based on gentlemen’s libraries of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. They are presented in a series of period room settings designed to emphasise the range of designs, colours, forms and uses of fine English furniture.
“Harvey’s pioneered exhibitions of English library furniture more than 30 years ago, so I am delighted to be returning to the theme. This is a very exciting exhibition that brings together so many different elements of English furniture design from its most classic period,” says Harvey.
A James II walnut bureau bookcase, a pair of Regency armchairs and a c.1710 kneehole desk are among the other highlights in the show.
