Collections Online

Roll-top writing desk, oak frame with pitch pine facing on front of drawers and cupboard, inlaid with coloured woods in the gothic style; conventional bureau form, with the lower half comprising, back, a kneehole closed with boarded folding doors and containing pigeon holes; and front, arcaded side walls formed of a two dark close-grained columns, with round bases and grooved and beaded capitals, standing on a horizontal plank of wood with a tripartite foot, and closed by a pointed arch; the whole supporting the upper half formed of two drawers and above a cylinder roll top, with column-fronted pigeon holes within; flat top with a notched and chamfered guard rail; the whole carved with chamfered edges, and the roll top with semi-circles; coloured wood inlay in ebony, mahogany etc - two segment-shaped side panels inlaid with a foliate circle enclosing set square and compasses, and behind, two square panels with an oak leaf roundel with the monogram IS (or IPS); further geometric inlay principally of chevrons (around lower cupboard and on writing slope), roundels both single and in groups of four, trefoils (on lower half), diamonds, crosses etc; ornate metalwork fittings, brass (with traces of gilding), twisted rope pattern drawer handles set with a cabachon-cut malachite (centre) and ruby glass (ends) and with floral plates painted with cold colours; pair of turquoise-headed handles cameo-cut cut with heads to inner drawers, horizontal iron straps on folding cupboard doors painted with imitation gemstones in red, green, blue etc, and originally silvered with gothic patterning; an ebonised pen rest and a square glass inkbottle with liner to either fitted internal drawer.

The desk is one of several pieces designed by Seddon that were shown at the 1862 International Exhibition in London. It was one of the major works in the Mediaeval Court, organised by Seddon’s friend, the architect William Burges. Comparing the desk to the brightly painted furniture in the Mediaeval Court, Burges was not entirely complimentary. He notes that Seddon introduced colour ‘by means of marquetry... the effect is excellent, and the furniture is less liable, from its materials, to be injured than that above named. But here a curious fact is to be noticed. All Messrs. Prichard [his business partner] and Seddon's work which has painted figure-panels looks well... but the little writing-table, where only marquetry is employed, by no means comes up to the mark of the others.’