A William IV rosewood breakfront side cabinet

A William IV rosewood breakfront side cabinet, with a later dark grey marble top above four doors each enclosing a shelf and re-lined in pleated yellow silk, embellished with solid rosewood corbels and paired C-scrolls. English, c1830.

Stamped Wilkinson and son. 8 old Bond Street. 10168

Founded in c.1808 by William Wilkinson in Ludgate Hill, the centre of much of the luxury goods trade in London at this time, the firm took over the premises of the firm of Kay and Say who had been major cabinetmakers until losing in 1807.

An initial interest of the firm was patent furniture, particularly tables, and the firm promoted their designs in this area heavily, introducing a patent bedstead in 1812 and advertising a variety of pieces suitable for campaign use.

The firm was of large size as demonstrated by surviving insurance documentation and was clearly used to working in conjunction with leading architects. John Rennie commissioned the firm to make a table which he gave to the Earl of Lonsdale in 1829 for example and they produced dining and drawing room furniture, designed by Philip Hardwick, for Goldsmiths Hall in 1833.

Throughout the 1840s they were involved in major commissions for institutions in the City of London and in 1851 they exhibited at the Great Exhibition, showing a suite of walnut bedroom furniture. In 1855 the firm moved to No. 8 Bond Street under the control of Charles Wilkinson and he continued to run the firm until 1871 when he passed it to his eldest son Frederick. By this stage they had additional premises in Munster Square.

From the mid 1880s onwards, the firm was associated with A. H. Mackmurdo, executing his designs for the Century Guild. A complete room setting created by this partnership was exhibited at the International Inventions Exhibition in London in 1885. Through the Guild, Wilkinsons were able to attract an artistic and intellectual clientele and the firm’s last major exhibition was at the Arts and Crafts Exhibition in 1890. In 1891 it merged with the Hindleys to form Hindley and Wilkinson which had major clients including the Royal family at Windsor Castle but which closed in 1918.