Strauss & co - 21 October 2013, Cape Town

371 A Victorian Jerusalem olivewood and inlaid davenport, 19th century the superstructure with two small hinged compartments above a frieze carved with grapes and foliage, the hinged writing slope stamped ‘Jerusalem’, the side with pen and ink compartment, each side with a pair of doors enclosing three drawers, the front with columns, on a plinth base with turned feet, 92cm high, 70cmwide, 59,5cm deep R10 000 – 15 000 PROVENANCE The desk was purchased by the current owner in New York in the 1960s. It contains papers, including an account book, belonging to Mrs Eliza Kelly, the daughter of Lieutenant General John ‘Kotiya’ Fraser (1790-1862), recognised for his conduct in the siege of Burgos (September 1812) by Wellington and awarded the Peninsular War Medal for his efforts. Fraser spent the rest of his life in Ceylon, but had a brief sojourn in the Cape in 1821. He is remembered in the former for his fierce conduct in the Kandian War ( kotiya is Sinhalese for tiger), as the owner of an extensive coffee plantation and for constructing a satinwood bridge without a bolt or nail over the Peradeniya gorge on the road to Kandy. 372 A late Victorian mahogany campaign pedestal desk, circa 1899 the rectangular gilt-tooled red leather-inset top with three-quarter gallery above a long drawer, each pedestal with three graduated drawers, on ring-turned feet, gallery and leather replaced, locks stamped S. ILLIDGE & SON, and the date 1899, 78cm high, 102cm wide, 55cm deep R15 000 – 20 000 371 372 139