Beschreibung:

W.A.S. BENSON (1854-1924)Important Cabinet
circa 1908
for Morris & Co., mahogany, satinwood inlay, 'verde antico' marble, brass mounts, stamped 'MORRIS & CO 449 OXFORD STREET W 1697'
height 42in (107cm); width 55in (140cm); depth 25in (64cm)
FootnotesExhibited
'Franco-British Exhibition', London, 1908 (present lot exhibited)
'Truth, Beauty, and Design', Fischer Fine Art, London, 1986, no. 74
Provenance
H. Blairman & Sons Ltd, London
Private Collection, New York (acquired from the above, circa 1995)
Literature
F. Dumas, 'The Franco-British Exhibition Illustrated Review', London, 1908, p. 206, fig. 1 (present lot exhibited)
Morris & Co., 'Specimens of Furniture', Trade Catalogue, n.d., 1910, p. 23 (present lot illustrated)
Dr. Ian Hammerton, 'W.A.S. Benson', Antique Collectors Club, 2005, p. 170
This cabinet was one of three pieces designed by W.A.S. Benson that were exhibited by Morris & Co. at the Franco-British Exhibition, London in 1908. It was displayed as the centerpiece of the stand, positioned below the large Morris tapestry copied after Botticelli's 'Primavera'.
An earlier variation of the cabinet design was also presented by J.S. Henry at the Exposition Universelle, Paris, 1900. Both F. Dumas and Morris & Co. refer that the design of the present lot was provided by W.A.S. Benson, indicating that both Henry and Morris were producing variations of Benson's designs for the cabinet during this time. Another version of the present cabinet, with two additional front legs, is illustrated in Pauline Agius, 'British Furniture 1880-1915', Woodbridge, 1978, pl. 112.