Gillows Burr Walnut Davenport with Writing Slope and Drawers
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Gillows antique English burr walnut davenport, handsomely fitted with pull-front writing slope, stationary drawer, ink and pen drawer and book rest slide. Original bramah locks and keys with Gillows' signature melon feet with sunken casters. stamped 'Gillows'. Superb quality throughout. 86 cm high, 53 cm wide, 57 cm deep
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- Bramah Locks - A patented high security high quality lock, invented in 1784 by Joseph Bramah, and designed a lock mechanism operated by a tubular key, of such complexity and security, that he put it in his shop window and offered a reward of 200 guineas to anyone who could open it. In 1787 Joseph Bramah?s lock patent was granted with 479,001,600 keys required to open it under all its variations.
Genuine Bramah locks are stamped with the makers name on the top face of the lock, and are easily recognisable because the circular brass barrel of the lock, also forms the escutcheon, and protrudes front the front to which it is fitted.
Bramah locks were used by the best furniture makers of the period, such as Gillows, most commonly from about 1820 onwards, the use of the lock being restricted presumably due to their cost. If an item of furniture is fitted with a Bramah lock, it is generally an indication it is a quality piece. - Signed or Stamped - A signed piece of furniture may mean that the maker has signed (and hopefully dated) the piece in the same way that we sign a cheque, but more likely, that it bears evidence of the name of the maker, wholesaler or retailer as a paper label, metal plaque, impressed into the timber or in later pieces after about 1880, stamped onto the timber with an ink stamp.
The 'signature' or stamp will always be in an unobtrusive position: under the top of a table, on the underside of the rails of a chair, inside a drawer or on the back.
The fact that a piece is 'signed' considerably enhances its value. Signed Australian furniture is extremely rare, and for imported furniture, it is a mark of quality of the item, as only the items by the top makers or retailers were 'signed' - Burr - Burr (or in the USA, burl) is the timber from the knotted roots or deformed branch of the tree, which when cut, displays the small circular knots in various gradations of colour. It is always cut into a decorative veneer, most commonly seen as burr walnut on 19th century furniture.
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