18th century, of diminutive form, with molded arched pediment above a mirrored door flanked by fluted Corinthian pilasters, the lower section with slant-front writing surface revealing a hidden well and fitted interior, above two long drawers and acanthus-carved cabriole legs ending in ball-and-claw feet

h. 85-1/2 w. 27 d. 20 in.

Provenance:
Sloans & Kenyon, Chevy Chase, MD, April 22, 2007, lot 1445 ($9,676); Private collection, Bedford, NY

The current bureau bookcase shares certain features with a very grand, documented example made by John Unwin for Caleb Dickinson in the summer of 1738. Both have fluted pilasters with similar bases and Corinthian capitals, and the ball and claw feet -- an unusual feature for a walnut piece of furniture of the time -- share a certain kinship. It is possible that this bureau bookcase is an earlier model of Unwin's later, grand example. The Unwin desk is discussed at length by Christian Jussel in English Furniture 1680-1760, The Percival D. Griffith's Collection, Yale University Press, 2023, as well as Furniture History, Vol. LV (2019), pp. 87?100, and The Magazine Antiques, Jan/Feb 2023, The Finest Piece of Walnut Furniture of its Type, pp. 110-113.

Additional high-resolution photos of this lot are available here.