A Matched Pair of Late 19th Century Upright Secretaires, Inspired by William Vile and Attributed to Gillows

A Matched Pair of late 19th Century Upright Secretaires, Inspired by William Vile and attributed to Gillows Executed in the finest mahogany, these upright secretaires are inspired by the rare 18th century model associated with William Vile. Similar pieces were made for the Earl of Holderness by Vile for his seat Hornby Castle and a small number of other related examples have come on to the market over the years, including a piece that Noel Terry regarded as the highlight of his collection of 18th century furniture and is displayed today at Fairfax House in York. The maker of the present pieces has retained the fine fretwork and exceptional carved detailing on the Vile pieces but has changed the design of the legs, incorporating knurled feet and gothic panelling with hints of the cabriole leg rather than the straight legs with Marlborough feet typically seen on the 18th century pieces. This shows a cabinetmaker willing to build on the past and create new works of art rather than a slavish copyist. Another way in which our pieces differ from the Vile examples is that the maker has glazed the upper cupboard section, making it suitable as a small display cabinet and not simply an open fretwork section as on the 18th century pieces. The fine rococo-style handles on our piece are of exceptional quality, just like those on the original examples, but it is the carved detailing, incorporating a wide range of different mouldings and fretwork designs, that really catches the eye. The very fine timbers, magnificent carving and sophisticated design and execution of these pieces point to a major workshop of the period and given Gillows’ fondness for the work of William Vile (see the Getty pedestal desk by the firm in our collection) it is highly likely that they are also the makers of these exceptional pieces.