BY JOHNSTONE & JEANES, CIRCA 1850

The firm of Messrs. Johnstone and Jeanes, established circa 1842, was the successor of Johnstone, Jupe and Co makers of the ingenious ‘Jupe’ segmental dining table, patented in 1835. The firm were known for their ‘good and substantial manufacture’ as noted in the Art Journal's illustrated catalogue for the 1862 International Exhibition, London and were suppliers of furniture to the Royal Family. This stool was almost certainly commissioned circa 1850 as part of a larger suite for Buckingham Palace, possibly as part of the furnishings for the newly completed ‘Great Facade’. A pair of sofas, apparently en-suite with this stool, are now in the East Gallery at the Palace (RCIN 35), with many other pieces of furniture by Johnstone and Jeanes remaining in the Royal collection at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle as well as elsewhere. The ‘Great Facade’ was designed by architect Edward Blore to enclose the then open quadrangle at Buckingham Palace, this new wing was subsequently refaced, in 1913, to a design by Aston Webb (1849-1930), giving the Palace the familiar appearance which is today known the world over. The brands 'VR / BP/ 1866/No.13[/8?]0’ to the underside of the stool are inventory stamps and denote the monarch - Victoria Regina, the residence - Buckingham Palace, the date of the inventory - 1866 and the room where the stool was located at the time the inventory was taken - 130, or possibly 180 (the stamp is ill-defined).

HM King George VI's dressing mirror, made by the firm and was sold from the collection of HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, Christie's, London 14 June 2006, lot 853.