Beschreibung:

Edward William Godwin (1833-1886) for William Watt, a rare and important Anglo-Japanese walnut bookcase, circa 1871, with brass handles and shield style escutcheon, the lower cupboard with two sliding doors inset with painted panels attributed to Henry Stacey Marks, 217cm high, 99cm wide, 49.5 cm deep See Soros, Susan Weber 'The Secular Furniture of E.W. Godwin' Yale 1999, p. 201, plate 321, for an illustration of a related example. See also Christie's sale 'Important 20th Century Design' 26th May 2005, lot 47 In 1949 Dudley Harbron photographed and recorded a bookcase that he concluded had been made for Dr. George Bird, a friend of Ellen Terry (See Godwin's ledger for 17th September 1871) and the father of Elfrida Bird who married Luke Ionides. That bookcase, now cut-down, together with another corresponding example, was then in the possession of Mrs Lewis Clarke, having been inherited from her grandfather, Alexander Ionides son of Elfrida and Luke. A third bookcase was known to have been in the possession of Mrs Alecco Ionides at about the same time (Soros p.201). Despite Harbron's research and evident interest in these bookcases, they were poorly maintained by their owners, and two were thought to be destroyed (Soros, p.201), whilst one of the examples had its shelved superstructure removed and discarded. Susan Soros notes that this cut-down version is in 'stained oak' but one can clearly see in her illustration (Soros, p.201), it is not made from polished oak at all but exactly like the present example made from walnut. Both being made from walnut and both having identical measurements to their bases gives even more weight towards the most likely event that only one of the three cabinets was completely destroyed and the cut-down version is quite likely to be one of the two thought to have been destroyed, which it partially was. The present example is the only known example in existence to have emerged intact and is therefore unique! The painted panels to the cut-down 'Bird-Ionidies' example depict scenes from Greek antiquity. On the present version there is a painted panel to one side probably by Henry Stacey Marks, the attribution made by Christie's Art department and Susan Weber Soros, and is in good condition. The pencil and watercolour cartoon to the other panel, although quite faded and somewhat distressed, has the feel of Edward Burne Jones's work and interestingly the panels were originally believed to be executed by Burne Jones although Harbron in 1949 maintains the panels were painted by Charles Glidden who died young at 20 years of age. This panel has been attributed to Henry Stacey Marks by Christie's art department. Henry Stacey Marks is well documented to have painted for Godwin, to whom the panel of the present lot is attributed and which is also in the greek style. The figures in the painted panel are of two men helping an injured man and possibly may have been in combat with the knight in the other panel, and again their attire does also point to Greek Mythology. The opposite panel is quite different and depicts a prince or knight about to kiss a maiden or a princess, she is looking into his eyes, reaching out and touching his arm about to kiss. There is a sword lying at his feet and his own sword is held to his waist or in his belt with the blade in view and the point to the earth, it looks as if there may be the tail of what could be a dragon adjacent to the sword and possibly a person that may have been slain lying by the maiden. In the right-hand corner there is a castle with banner flying and a crescent moon beside it. The Ionidies family were probably the biggest and most generous patrons of the arts, building one of the most important and impressive collections in the late Victorian Period, and refined collectors of art from the Aesthetic Movement, Ionides's pool of artists to choose from was thoroughly connected through his high society circle of friends which included Edward Calvert and George Fr