George Bullock British Specimen Woods Inlaid Writing Table, circa 1810

A C R O T E R I O N is pleased to offer this exceptional false-double-sided ladies writing table, an important early work of famed English cabinet-maker, designer, and sculptor George Bullock made circa 1810 in early regency neoclassical style, the rectangular ebony reeded edge top with exquisitely figured mahogany field border inlaid with Bullock's signature ebony 'beads and stringing' framed by native British wood specimens in lozenges and triangles above flat friezes with 'Greek key' variant ebony string inlay and single drawer with original brass knobs concealing a retractable gilt-embossed leather writing surface raised upon ring-turned legs ending in brass casters. Additional measurements: 25.13" from floor to bottom of drawer; 26.38" between the legs.

Provenance: A private collection of important English furniture, Alford, Massachusetts.

Biography:

George Bullock (c. 1780 - 1818) is celebrated as one of the most innovative designers and furniture makers of the English Regency period. Believed to have been born in Birmingham, he practised as an accomplished sculptor in Liverpool before entering into brief cabinet-making partnerships with William Stoakes (1805-07) and George and Joseph Gandy (1809-10), after establishing his own firm in London. Bullock furniture displays a strongly individual personality, and is particularly noted for his use of native British woods and marbles. An impressive body of documented furniture has been identified with significant commissions for Cholmondeley Castle, Speke Hall, Blair Castle, Abbotsford, Battle Abbey, and Napoleon Bonaparte's exile house on St. Helena. Only one cabinet by Bullock is known to exist with his stamp, leaving all other of his furnishings unmarked.

Literature:

Levy, Martin. "George Bullock: Sources for identifying Furniture from his Workshop", 'Apollo', vol. CXXV, no. 304, June, 1987, pp. 425-29.

Wainwright, Clive. 'George Bullock Cabinet Maker'. London: John Murray Ltd. and H. Blairman & Sons Ltd., 1988.

Gilbert, Christopher. 'Pictorial Dictionary of Marked London Furniture, 1700-1840'. Leeds: The Furniture History Society and W.S. Maney and Son Ltd, 1996.

Collard, Frances. 'Regency Furniture'. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Antique Collectors’ Club, 1985.

Getty, Ann, and Diane Dorrans Saeks. 'Ann Getty Interior Style'. New York: Rizzoli, 2012. pp. 42, 44-5, 47, 237.