Provenance

Nicholas Morel had formerly worked for The Prince of Wales, later George IV, at Carlton House and the Royal Pavilion at Brighton. Subsequently, he was commissioned to design and furnish the newly built apartments designed by Sir Jeffry Wyattville (1766-1840) for the King at Windsor Castle. In order to fulfil the contract he entered into partnership with George Seddon III whose family had large and long established furniture workshops in Aldersgate Street in the City of London.

Artists from the architectural drawing school run by Augustus Charles Pugin were employed by Morel & Seddon, to create a pictorial record of the clocks, vases, candelabra and other items from royal residencies for consideration for use in the refurbishment at Windsor Castle. In March 1827 Pugin’s son, the 15-year-old Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin, began to take part in this project; he was engaged to 'make drawings of furniture in Carlton Palace... previous to their removal to Windsor Castle'. By June of that year he had moved on and for £1 1s. per day he was engaged to 'design and make working drawings for the gothic furniture of Windsor Castle'. The original sideboard, lost in the 1992 fire at Windsor Castle, was thought to be one of the piece designed by Pugin.