English Table Made for Windsor Castle and Commanded by George IV

Object Description

A Highly Important & Rare Royal Table made by Morel & Seddon for the Windsor Castle Commission, commanded by George IV

Constructed in Amboyna, with ormolu gilt bronze mounts, having highlights in parcel gilt; rising from ormolu scroll feet cast with lotus decoration, housing its original castors, the parcel gilt end supports carved with a stiff leaf adornments, with the block end platforms conjoined by an upholstered footrest of rectangular form which also serves as a stretcher; the rectangular top edged with a berried leaf ormolu band, and housing a drawer in the frieze: the interior back rail bearing paper inventory labels, ‘Windsor Castle Room 236, No.4 1866’ another ‘235’ and two other labels, ‘R235’ & ‘21’; branded with a marque de fer under the front rail ‘V.R. 1866, Windsor Castle, Room 235’, and having a pencil notation to the underside ‘Room 235, York ***’.
Circa July 1828

Published in “British Furniture 1820 to 1920” by Christopher Payne, as well as “For the King’s Pleasure” by Hugh Roberts.

Object History

Windsor Castle, Berkshire, originally situated in Room 243, subsequently moved to Rooms 235 & then 236, as recorded in the Royal Inventory of 1866. Other pieces of furniture provenanced to Windsor Castle have passed through our hands over the years.

Object Literature

The faithful and detailed recording of Morel & Seddon’s Accounts by Hugh Robert’s in his wonderful study, ‘For the King’s Pleasure’, published by Royal Collection Enterprises Ltd. 2001, pp 356 et seq. provides a makers report of our table.

Christopher Payne. British Furniture 1820 to 1920 : The Luxury Market. ACC Art Books, 2023, pp. 48 & 50 (illus. figs. 1.47a-d).

Morel & Seddon of 13 Great Marlborough Street London

The partnership of Nicholas Morel, who had formerly worked for the Prince of Wales, later George IV, on his residences at Carlton House and the Brighton Pavilion since the cusp of the 18th/19th Centuries, and George Seddon, of the large and established cabinet makers Seddon and Sons of Aldersgate Street came into being in 1827, when Morel, of French extraction, was awarded by George IV the monumental task of refurbishing the apartments at Windsor Castle; his partner of choice was Seddon, whose expertise was coupled with a large workforce, as they were noted as the largest cabinet makers in London in the 18th Century, thus having the capacity to process large orders. The Windsor Castle commission was worth almost £200,000 to the company. Hugh Roberts book, ‘For the King’s Pleasure’, published by Royal Collection Enterprises in 2001 illustrates many of the pieces made for the commission, and concordances may be noted between these, and our Library Table. The firm seemed to have had the Crown as their main clients, with further work being carried out for William IV, although a large commission was carried out for the Marquess of Stafford in 1830 worth £15,000. Morel’s name disappears from the records in 1831, and the company of G & T Seddon, although awarded the Royal Warrant in 1832, had great difficulty in extracting the £200,000 from the Crown for the Windsor commission, which led to a near bankruptcy in 1840. The firm eventually closed in 1868.

Object Condition

Excellent

Object Details