Dolls house Hand-made 112 Miniature Davenport Desk by Harold Cudworth 1992

  

This item presents a very rare opportunity to acquire a hand-made, custom piece of dolls' house furniture, made to order by miniaturist Harold Cudwort h of Leeds in 1992 for a discerning collector. This 1:12 scale Davenport Desk demonstrates incredible craftsmanship of the highest quality. Constructed principally from walnut wood, the Davenport features an opening inclined desktop, revealing a storage compartment with pigeon-holes at the back. To the rear of the desktop is a further opening lid, revealing a range of storage pockets for letter-paper, envelopes, stationery etc. At the right side are four opening full-length drawers with superbly-crafted dovetail joints.

The ring handles for each of the drawers are delicately hinged and swivel-as they would in a full-size example. Every aspect of the Davenport Desk has been made with intricate care, and the provenance documents indicate that it took months of painstaking work to complete. See pictures for more details. The item is signed "HC" 1992.

Original order dated 23rd June 1991 and receipt dated 3rd June 1992 included for provenance. The name "Davenport" for a type of desk is thought to derive from that of a British Army or Naval officer Captain Davenport, who commissioned such a desk from Gillow's of Lancaster towards the end of the 18th Century. I have been able to find out very little about the maker Harold Cudworth, other than he made miniature dolls' house furniture of the very highest quality at his workshop in Leeds, and that he exhibited at Miniatures Fairs around the UK during the 1980s and 1990s. Each of his creations is individual and unique.