A VICTORIAN PART-EBONIZED, PARCEL-GILT, BRASS-MOUNTED AND LEADED STAINED GLASS-INSET INLAID WALNUT TWO-PART CABINET BY BLYTH & SONS, LONDON, AFTER A DESIGN BY BRUCE TALBERT, CIRCA 1870

in two parts, the upper section fitted with a pair of leaded stained glass pane-inset doors above two drawers, the projecting lower section fitted with two drawers above cupboard doors; one drawer front inside with applied stamped brass oval plaque BLYTH & SONS MANUFACTURERS 4 CHISWELL ST. LONDON.

Very good condition and quality, color and surface, minor losses, chips and restorations, old marks and scratches, minor losses to inlay, losses to ebony panel at left front and side at top of stile flanking upper left door, age cracks to inlaid ebony panels, separations and cracks to paneled backs of upper section (see photograph on p. 31), losses to turned decoration at side and back of central column to upper section, chips and dents to edges of projecting lower section, brass hinges and handles probably originally lacquered, some screws replaced to mounts, upper right door lacking lock, old marks and scratches, scuffs to feet, lacking shelves
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Originally a carver, Bruce James Talbert (1838-1881) later trained as an architect, but he is best known as a designer and decorator. In the 1860s he was involved in making detailed drawings and designs for George Gilbert Scott's Albert Memorial and the Hereford Cathedral Screen, and in 1868 published his first collection of designs, Gothic Forms Applied to Furniture, Metalwork and Decoration for Domestic Purposes, which was followed by Examples of Ancient and Modern Furniture, Metalwork, Tapestries, Decorations &c, published in 1876, and Fashionable Furniture, issued after his death in 1881. Talbert worked in association with several of the principal furniture makers of the period, including Gillows, Holland & Sons, Marsh Jones & Cribb, Lamb of Manchester, and the Coalbrookdale Company, also establishing professional links with other key designers such as Richard Norman Shaw and George Edmund Street. Holland and Sons exhibited a Talbert-designed inlaid oak sideboard at the 1867 Exposition Universelle in Paris, praised as 'an admirable production of Art-manufacture.'  

Furniture makers Blyth and Sons, James Blyth and his son Duncan Nisbet Blyth, existed from 1830 to 1905.  The firm's shop was located at  5-7 Chiswell Street, Finsbury Square, while factories were at Blyth Street and Bethnal Green Road, London, and Henry Street, Liverpool.  The accounts and bill books of the Lord Chamberlain's Department from 1837 to 1887 record that Blyth and Sons provided upholstery to the royal family in 1880 and 1885; see Edward Joy, 'The Royal Victorian Furniture-Makers, 1837-87', The Burlington Magazine, 1969.