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Page Background 158 A IRISH FINE WILLIAM IV MAHOGANY BREAKFRONT BOOKCASE,

attributed to Mack, Williams & Gibtons, the moulded cornice with a round central pediment above

four open shelves intersposed by pilasters with leaf carved capitals, raised on a cupboard base with

four fielded doors on a platform base, 335cm wide, 215cm tall

€ 15,000 - 20,000

Mack, Williams & Gibton supplied library bookcases to a number of Irish country houses including

Ballyfin, Co. Laois and Borris House, Co. Carlow. The bookcases at Ballyfin drew on the designs of

W. F. Pocock and favoured the use of low relief panels as are found on this bookcase and on two

tables in Dublin Castle and a bookcase in Áras an Uachtaráin (Illustrated in Angela Alexander, ‘A

Firm of Dublin Cabinet-Makers Mack, Williams & Gibton’, Irish Arts Review Yearbook, Vol. 11, 1995,

pp. 142-148). The firm also favoured the use of architectural pediments as on this bookcase. The

partnership of Mack, Williams and Gibton formed in 1811-1812 flourished under this name until the

death of John Mack in 1829. The firm is recognized for the superb timbers employed and their high

quality of workmanship which is often compared to Gillows of Lancaster and London. As with this

bookcase, much of the furniture they produced was inspired by the designs published by Thomas

Hope and George Smith. The original partners John Mack and Robert Gibton are listed in the Dublin

directories individually from 1784 and 1790, respectively, and appear to have come into partnership

in 1803. They were appointed ‘Upholsterers & Cabinet Makers to his Majesty, His Excellency the

Lord Lieutenant and His Majesty’s Board of Works’ in 1806 and the firm retained this Royal Warranty

for many years, supplying and restoring furniture for important public buildings in Ireland including

the Four Courts, the War office, the Barracks Office, Dublin Castle and the Treasury and Vice-regal

Lodge.