E. W. Godwin for Collinson & Lock. A Fine Quality Rosewood Desk
POA
Width: 42.25 in (107.32 cm)
Depth: 21 in (53.34 cm)
1870-1879
About this piece
Collinson & Lock, attributed to E. W. Godwin, presents an exceptional quality rosewood writing table with five upper drawers and stylized swan neck drop handles. It features eight finely turned legs, each set of four united by circular pierced details. The table boasts a renewed period-style leather work area.
Collinson & Lock of London, known as 'Art Furnishers', was founded by F. G. Collinson and G. J. Lock, former employees of Jackson and Graham. Designers employed by the firm included T. E. Collcutt, the architect of their premises; E. W. Godwin, who was paid a retainer to produce exclusive designs for the company from 1872 to 1874; H. W. Batley; and Stephen Webb. They crafted furniture for the new Law Courts to designs by G. E. Street, alongside Gillows and Holland & Sons, and commenced the decoration of the Savoy Theatre in 1881. Jackson and Graham was taken over in 1885, coinciding with the firm's move to Oxford Street and a shift towards expensive commissions for grandiose London houses. Gillows acquired the firm in 1897.
Established in London in the third quarter of the 19th century, the firm of Collinson & Lock swiftly achieved commercial success and a leading position in design. In 1871, they released an impressive illustrated catalogue of 'Artistic furniture', with plates by J. Moyar Smith, assistant to Christopher Dresser. By 1873, they were trading from extensive newly built premises in St Bride Street. The firm continued to produce high-quality furniture, experimenting with new materials and designs. They became renowned for their distinctive combinations of rosewood and ivory, intricate Italianate arabesques, traditional figures, and scrolling foliage.
This form of decoration indicates the influence of Stephen Webb, Collinson & Lock's chief designer, who later became Professor of Sculpture at the Royal College of Art. E. W. Godwin, their most important designer, created designs in the Japanese style that were considered highly advanced.
