A RARE AND IMPRESSIVE REGENCY CARVED AND PAINTED WOOD SCOTTISH ROYAL COAT OF ARMS BY JOHN STEELL SNR

A RARE AND IMPRESSIVE REGENCY CARVED AND PAINTED WOOD SCOTTISH ROYAL COAT OF ARMS
BY JOHN STEELL SNR, CIRCA 1816-1837
Depicting the Royal coat of arms with Hanoverian escutcheon, upon the helm sits the crest, depicting a Lion, forward facing and sitting atop the Crown of Scotland, displaying the Honours of Scotland with Scottish motto "In Defens", banner to base partially inscribed Dieu and Droit, signed to the lower front plinth "J Steell, Edin."
approximately 150cm high, 236cm wide, 53cm deep

This late Georgian carved Royal coat of arms is one of only four now known to survive by John Steell Snr. One is in the collection of the National Galleries of Scotland and the other two are still in place, adorning the pediment of Leith Customs House and the interior of the County Hall in Cupar. The latter two have been later gilded and, in the case of the Leith example, later painted as well. The piece in the NGS is partially constructed from plaster, with the remaining part being of gilded pine. Examination of this example reveals indications of prior polychrome decoration. All the surviving pieces are signed, in the case of the Leith example this was only discovered when the pediment was restored in 1983. At the same time, it was also found to be dated 1813, carved into the reverse adjacent to the signature.

John Steell Snr. (1770-1848) was a talented wood carver with known works including Corinthian capitals in the Signet Library in Edinburgh and an series of carvings depicting scenes from the life of Mary Queen of Scots for Duns Castle. In addition, he seems to have been heavily involved in the production of shop sign figures, one of which is in the collection of the National Museum of Scotland. Carved in 1835 it depicts a smoking figure used to advertise various tobacconists in a single premises in Princes Street over several years. Steell's son, also John (1804-1891), would rise to become one of Scotland's most famous sculptors, winning royal commissions but it is extremely difficult to gauge the extent of his involvement in his father's business in the early years of his career. Certainly, as he was apprenticed to his father from the age of 14 (in 1818), he would have played some part in the production of some of these wood carvings and it is the opinion of some experts that both men would have been involved in carving the surviving coats of arms. One other coat of arms by the Steell family is known in photographs but sadly does not seem to have survived. This was executed for the pediment of the Theatre Royal in Edinburgh and a photograph from 1858 showing the carving in some detail does exist. The photograph is of sufficient quality to be able to make out the words 'I Steel' and 'Edin' underneath the carving on the front of the piece and, like this example, it also seems to carry the Hanoverian inescutcheon.

John Steel Snr.'s trade card survives and advertises "house and ship carving on moderate terms" and there has been discussion as to whether this example may have originally been carved for a ship.