Burnell and Rowe

Description

This is a heavyweight brass letter rack with a frontispiece featuring two Sealyham Terriers, which dates to the interwar years.

Sealyham Terriers were first bred at Sealyham House in Pembrokeshire in the second half of the 19th century. They were at their peak of popularity in both the UK and the US during the 1920s and 1930s when They were the breed of choice for Hollywood stars such as Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis, Tallulah Bankhead and Cary Grant. Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock were both enthusiastic owners as was King George V. Today they are much rarer but still have a very dedicated following.

The frontispiece of this letter rack was almost certainly commissioned as the dog on the left has a letter S next to it and the dog on the right has a letter E, presumably the initials of their names. Beneath the pair of dogs is the word SEALYHAMS. You can imagine the proud owner of S & E having this sitting on their desk as they dealt the morning correspondence.

The frontispiece is in very good condition with no dings or dents and a very nice patina to the brass. The letter rack section has definitely seen plenty of use and the brass is quite marked. This could be cleaned and made bright again if desired or left to reflect its age. Please make sure to view all the photographs.

The letter rack is 14.5cm / 5.6" to the top of the taller dog's head. It is 10.5cm / 4.1" wide and 10.3cm / 4" deep. It weighs 606g.

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