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Lot Essay
James Shoolbred and Company was located on Tottenham Court Road, a thriving centre for fashionable furniture shops from the 1860's. They created one of the first great department stores in London; their trade was diverse and they began producing furniture around 1870. They issued an important catalogue of the firm's work in 1876 and earned a Royal warrant in the mid-1880's. Their output encompassed all prevailing styles including Art Furniture, 'Old English' and 'Japanese' as is evident from the 1878 Paris Universal Exhibition in which they offered 'a very extensive selection of items' (E. Joy, ed, Pictorial Dictionary of British 19th Century Furniture Design, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 1977, p. xxxvi). Much of the furniture they designed was influenced by the 'Aesthetic taste', popularised by Oscar Wilde and the architect E.W. Godwin.
A pair of hall stools of this design was sold from the collection of Mary, Viscountess Rothermere, Christie's, New York, 16 April 1994, lot 150. Another pair was sold anonymously, Christie's, New York, 15 April 2005, lot 120 ($14,400), while a virtually identical pair was sold, Christie's, London, 22 November, 2007, lot 610 (£8,750).
A pair of hall stools of this design was sold from the collection of Mary, Viscountess Rothermere, Christie's, New York, 16 April 1994, lot 150. Another pair was sold anonymously, Christie's, New York, 15 April 2005, lot 120 ($14,400), while a virtually identical pair was sold, Christie's, London, 22 November, 2007, lot 610 (£8,750).