the canopied lid opening to reveal two compartments, above flower inlaid double doors opening to reveal drawers and a removable writing desk, the interior doors with ivory moulded mirrors, the body flanked at the four corners with columns with ivory rings topped by shaped finials ending on ivory cusps, all on protruding bracket feet. with inscribed silver plaque "Presented to the Duke of Norfolk by his friends - 1845"

Henry Charles, 13th Duke of Norfolk (1791–1856);
Sold by the 16th Duke of Norfolk, Arundel Castle Sale, 19th and 20th November 1945, Christie, Mason & Woods, lot 71;
European Private Collection.

A highly decorative piece in very good conserved condition. The green silk lining to the interiors perhaps relayed. The ivory veneers to the interior have signs of light craquelure and one of the mirror plates has a crack. There is a minor chip to the tortoiseshell veneer beneath one of the ivory finials. This piece is ready to place.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A fitting present to one of the grandest aristocrats of his generation, Henry Charles Howard, 13^th Duke of Norfolk (1791–1856), this sumptuous table cabinet is an exceptional example of the production retailed by London luxury traders during the mid-19^th century. It displays exquisite craftsmanship on a striking design showing off the qualities of the exotic materials used; tortoiseshell, ivory and mother-of-pearl.
The Duke was a prominent Whig politician and, following the Catholic emancipation in 1829, the first Roman Catholic to sit in the House of Commons since the Reformation (1534). Lord Howard was born on the 12^th August 1791 in Hanover Square, London. In 1814 he married Lady Charlotte Leveson-Gower, the eldest daughter of George Granville, 1^st Duke of Sutherland KG. The following year his father acceded to the Dukedom of Norfolk and Lord Howard became the Earl of Arundel and Surrey. Lord Howard’s marriage to Lady Charlotte thrust him into the political limelight. The 1^st Duke of Sutherland was at the time the richest man in the country, as father-in-law to the young Earl he would have pulled him into the society of the grandest Whig supporters. 
The great social event of the Duke’s life was the three day visit of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to Arundel in 1846. The Queen generously gave the Duke two years notice before her visit which allowed for a major refurbishment of the castle. Morants, the famed London decorators, supplied furniture and interior furnishing including green and gold patterned wall paper and red velvet upholstered sofas. It was during this period that the Duke was given the tortoiseshell casket. Tantalisingly we have not been able to pin down the exact reason for the Duke’s friends bestowing on him such a lavish gift, however, various aspects of the Duke’s domestic and court life would have made 1845 an opportune year to celebrate an important friendship. 
1845 was a particularly busy year for Lord Howard and the Arundel estates. He completed his newly designed farm buildings and dairies at Swanbourne (including a fine central fountain and beautiful tile decoration), finished the building of the additional market hall to the town hall in New Glossop, began plans to build a fine new railway station and re-opened the Arundel grounds to the public. It was clear that this was a man set on leaving his family’s estates in better condition than he found them in and who realised that modernisation was key to the success of his family and those families that relied on him. The newly refurbished castle combined with the successful building projects and the imminent arrival of the Queen and Prince Consort explain the generosity of Lord Howard’s friends. It is also important to note that the Duke’s taste, developed with almost unlimited funds, were of the highest standard. The exceptional quality of the casket highlights that Lord Howard’s friends knew him well and wanted to express a sincere and deep gratitude. It is impossible to know whether the Queen herself saw the cabinet, however, it is clear she was suitably impressed by her visit to Arundel, as she promoted Lord Howard to Master of the Horse that same year.           
The cabinet was sold in a house sale at Arundel in 1945, exactly a century after joining the Norfolk collections, in a sale organised following the requisitioned use of the castle as army base during the Second World War.
Very few English makers would mark or label their pieces and even fewer left a reputation that could be associated with the quality of the present lot. Father and son Thomas and William Lund of Cornhill, London, from a firm established in 1804, were producing writing boxes, tea caddies and dressing cases in similar fashion to the present lot. This firm’s boxes were meticulously finished, with fine silver and metal partitions for the tortoiseshell veneers and always with ivory veneered edges and faces, as seen in the present lot and should not be excluded as potential makers or retailers of this casket.
A considerable production of mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell objects was coming from Birmingham and three manufacturers from this city exhibited and advertised this type of work at the Great Exhibition of 1851: Richard Peters and Son, H. Chatwin and John Hayden. It is not unlikely therefore that Birmingham manufacturers were supplying London retailers.
Only three comparable cabinets to the present lot are known, also unlabelled, one sold from the Bernheimer Collection, Munich with Lempertz, Cologne, 14^th November 2003, lot 725, one pair presented in these rooms, 6^th November 1992, lot 41.