Carved Oak Metamorphic Settle

A substantial carved oak settle of metamorphic form, conceived in the Jacobean taste and likely produced in Britain during the late nineteenth-century revival. The piece centres upon an ingenious folding panel that drops forward to serve as a tea or reading table, supported by a hinged timber strut, revealing a relief-carved back panel adorned with a classical portrait medallion, foliate scrolls, and perched birds.

The upper cresting is surmounted by a carved crown over an inscribed reserve reading 'WYNN. OWEN MORGAN 1730', flanked by rampant horses within scrolling acanthus. While inscribed 1730, the robust joinery, deep relief work, and mechanical contrivance point towards a Victorian commission celebrating family lineage or incorporating earlier elements. Flanking panels display strapwork arches, scrolling ornament, and carved crests, terminating in shaped arms on substantial cabriole legs with paw feet.