Lot Essay
Edward Knoblock (1874-1945) was born in New York and arrived in England in 1897, where he worked as a playwright and author. He was one of the earliest and most influential collectors of Regency furniture in England and was a prominent buyer at the July 1917 sale of The Deepdene, Surrey, the country house of Thomas Hope. The Deepdene sale acted as a catalyst for renewed interest in the Regency period and Knoblock, alongside Lord Gerald Wellesley, was a key proponent of this Regency revival. He formed an important collection, first at The Beach House, Worthing, and later at 11 Montagu Place, London.