A George III Bookcase Cabinet in the Manner of Thomas Chippendale

the lower center section opening to an adjustable shelf.  Losses, repairs, doors to lower section and handles later.

M. Harris and Sons, London

By repute, Winston Churchill

Stair and Company, New York

Won as a prize on The Price is Right, 1960

M. Harris and Sons, A Catalogue and Index of Old Furniture and Works of Decorative Art, part II, n.d., p. 228, no. F 18982

Restored condition, crown with restorations, losses and rebuilding, cuts to the crown at the left end, beautiful figure and timber to the upper doors and drawer fronts, mullions with well carved elements and with cracks and replacements, center right drawer with plug below keyhole where formerly fitted with a knob, side doors now with brass knobs, age cracks to sides of upper section and some perishing to varnish of upper back, marks to sides of center doors where brass knobs of side doors have dented them, the lower section with age cracks to sides, center doors replaced, right door now with a fillet to left edge due to shrinkage, age cracks to panels of doors, minor losses to moldings, drawers with later handles, now with plugs at center below key holes, old marks and scratches; Alistair Stair provided a letter stating that this bookcase had come from the collection of Winston Churchill. We have been unable to ascertain this provenance.
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.

The finely arched astragals of this bookcase with their foliate and anthemion-carved ornament are closely related in their design to those seen on a drawing for a China Case, Published by Thomas Chippendale in The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director, 1st edition, published in 1754, pl. 106.

According to a letter written by Alistair Stair, president of Stair and Company, New York, the present bookcase was given to Winston Churchill for his use in the House of Commons during World War II and was purchased from him at the end of the war.  Sold to an American client of Mr. Stair's in 1945, the bookcase was repurchased by Stair and Company in 1960 and was won by the present owner on the game show The Price is Right in June 1960. 

There are no photographic records of the bookcase in the archives of either the House of Commons or the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms.