George III Three Drawer Nightstands W Priest Blackfriars, 1850, Set of 2

Description

A fine and rare set of late george iii three drawer mahogany nightstands stamped "w. Priest, 1 & 2 tudor … more A fine and rare set of late george iii three drawer mahogany nightstands stamped "w. Priest, 1 & 2 tudor street, blackfriars, london"

drawers are complimented with their original and unusual ebony coloured hand turned handles.

according to reference the pictorial dictionary of marked london furniture 1700 - 1840 by c. Gilbert william priest has been noted as a retailer of other makers furniture as well as his own. The quality of cabinet craftsmanship is very much akin to the furniture greats of gillows & co.

labels and stamps bearing the address 1 and 2 tudor st, blackfriars are not infrequently found. The date of the furniture so marked ranges from c.1790 to the mid-victorian period. The labels bearing the tudor st address describe the business as a ‘furniture warehouse’ and it is probable that priest was selling second-hand items which he marked before disposal. Stamped examples are illustrated in gilbert (1996), figs 742-754. They show that, as his label suggests, he specialised in office and library furnishings but he also retailed ordinary domestic furnishings. The soane museum has a mahogany desk probably purchased by george bailey, first curator of the soane museum, bearing priests’s label and giving the water street addresses (illus. Dorey, furniture history (2008), fig 115. less