An Irish giltwood wall bracket in the manner of John Booker of Dublin
An Irish giltwood wall bracket in the manner of John Booker of Dublin
A finely carved giltwood wall bracket in the manner of John Booker of Dublin. The fruiting vine ornament of this bracket bears some relation to a carved giltwood pier glass by John Booker.c.1775, (Private Collection) which has a similar reference to hanging bunches of grapes interspersed with vine leaves. The whole “carved and finished in the best burnished gold”. **
Dimensions: 13 inches (33cm) high; 11 inches (28cm) wide
Stock Number: VT20224
** p.147 The Knight of Glin and James Peill Irish Furniture: Woodwork & Carving in Ireland from the Earliest Times to the Act of Union, Paul Mellon Centre Yale University Press , 2007
🔶 On Consignment
The Bookers were a celebrated Dublin family of merchant craftsmen, identified now for their expertise in the grinding, polishing and cutting of mirror glass and also for the beauty of their carved giltwood, particularly mirror frames, possibly attributed directly to the brothers but possibly outsourced to other craftsmen . Brothers Francis and John Booker occupied premises by the old Essex Bridge, a 17th Century crossing of the River LIffey in the heart of the city (remodelled 1872-74 and now known as Grattan Bridge) during the third quarter of the 18th Century. The brothers advertised themselves as: “Sellers of Looking Glasses in carved & gilded frames, ditto in Mahogany & Walnut, Dressing Glasses in Mahogany, Walnut & Japanned Frames. Glasses for Coaches, Chariots and Post Chaises.”
