BRITAIN’S Prince William won’t be short of furniture as he’ll eventually inherit some of the world’s most lavishly appointed residences. In the meantime, if he needs a few bits and bobs he could always commission his second cousin, posh carpenter Viscount Linley.
The late Princess Margaret’s son, David Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones, known professionally as David Linley, is a cabinet-maker whose bespoke furniture is much sought-after by collectors. In 2005, he collaborated with Irish artist Graham Knuttel to create a limited edition of 12 chess sets which sold for £52,000 (€58,299) each. The chess pieces, in bronze and silver, were designed by Knuttel for a marquetry coffee table designed by Linley. One was bought by developer Seán Dunne for his Shrewsbury Road house.
Sheppard's of Durrow, Co Laois, will auction a marquetry coffee table by Linley during its three-day Outstanding Interiors and Exteriorssale which begins on May 10th. The table is made from crown-cut sycamore arranged in a geometric pattern, inlaid and banded with exotic woods - amboyna and coromandel.
Sheppard’s said it “was purchased in Paris in the 1990s by a Dublin professional then resident in the French capital”. It has an estimate of €600-€900. A new one costs about €4,000.
– MP
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