19th Victorian Ebonized Turned Spindle Canterbury (magazine rack) 1870's Made in England 48x33.5x44 cm The beautifully sculptural ebonised canterbury having four divisions with an all-over bobbin-turned frame on spindle supports, with central handle, on turned legs with brass and wooden swivel castors surviving from nineteenth century England. The canterbury is in very good condition both structurally and aesthetically, patination is pleasing. Canterbury’s are named such due to the fact that when they were developed in the 1780s in England the Archbishop of Canterbury commissioned one. Canterbury’s are essentially pieces of portable, occasional furniture, consisting of an open-topped rack with slatted compartments, originally for sheet music, music books and plate holder though now more commonly used for magazines or newspapers. The canterbury grew increasingly ornate throughout the 19th century: with Victorian pieces often have an upper galleried shelf like this one, and panels shaped like lyres or treble clefs. Popular in mid-nineteenth century England, bobbin turning showcased the wood turning skills of craftsmen of the era and this piece shows many many individually turned pieces. In superb condition this is high Victoriana yet somehow ultra modern. Beautifully designed and realised.