Apter-Fredericks Important English Furniture Vol. VI

Page 1



IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

265-267 Fulham Road, London SW3 6HY, United Kingdom Tel: +44 20 7352 2188 Fax: +44 20 7376 5619 Email: antiques@apter-fredericks.com www.apter-fredericks.com


4

Bernard & Carole, last quarter of twentieth century.


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

5

It is with some small measure of pride that Apter Fredericks present this year’s brochure celebrating our 70th year since our Grandfather, Alfred Fredericks began his business in our Fulham Road premises. Through the austere years following the Second World War, several recessions, and lighting the shop with gas lights during the three day week, the business has evolved into one of the premier dealerships in eighteenth century English furniture. As the third generation of the family dealing from these premises and the fourth as antiques dealers, we cannot miss this opportunity to thank our Parents, Bernard & Carole, and our Grandfather, Alf for the knowledge, skill and integrity they passed on to us. We have been so fortunate to have been brought up in a business with such an outstanding reputation and one that has provided so much pleasure and excitement. The joy of discovery, the pleasure of seeing old friends and the delight of dealing with appreciative clients is not something every business can provide but this one continues to do so. But without our clients we would not be here. So our greatest thanks go to all the clients who have made it all possible over the last 70 years. In testament to that, we are proud to have been asked by just such an old client to help dispose of his entire collection of fine pieces. Several of the items illustrated here with further items to be shown at the forthcoming Masterpiece Fair emanate from this important collection. Re-acquiring pieces previously handled is a very important source of inventory and we are certain that our longevity in the same premises with the same telephone number since 1946, offers confidence to both existing and new clients alike. Indeed, besides the single collection, there are numerous other items illustrated which have passed through our hands before. Thank you. Harry, Guy & Alice


6


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

7


8

Previous spread: 75035

A Pair of Commodes Attributed to Mayhew & Ince This highly decorative pair of commodes

Interestingly, another pair of commodes

exhibit many of the classical motifs

belonging to the Comtesse de Clinchamp

associated with the prominent London

were sold by Sotheby’s, London, May 1989,

cabinet making firm of Mayhew & Ince.

lot 89. The decoration on this pair of

The fan paterae, the particularly distinctive

commodes

ribbon ties, the husk festoons and the dot

undoubtedly by the same maker. One major

borders all appear on accredited works by

difference is the inlaid shaped apron and the

this firm.

tall tapered legs which add lightness to the

is

almost

identical

look of the commodes. Pieces of particular note which share some of these features include an oval table and a

English Circa 1780

pair of tables at Badminton that have been

Width 37½” 95cm

associated with large payments made to

Depth 16¾” 43cm

Mayhew & Ince by the Dowager Duchess of

Height 34½” 88cm

Beaufort between 1778 and 1798. PROVENANCE

A related commode, inlaid with Etruscan

Cornelius Kelley and thence by descent.

tablets and a `pearled’ edge to the top, is

Apter-Fredericks, Ltd.

illustrated in Percy Macquoid, A History of

Private Collection, USA.

English Furniture, The Age of Satinwood, London, 1908, fig. 158 and an oval table with a ‘pearled’ edge sold from The Leisdorf Collection, Sothebys New York, 1974, lot 143.

and


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

9

75052

A Pair of George III Ormolu Mounted Blue John Perfume Burners Attributed to Matthew Boulton Each with an ovoid body with guilloche

LITERATURE

cast ormolu rim above swags and a

Matthew Boulton’s Pattern Book I,

pierced lid with foliate finial. Having

p. 171.

looped handles above a platform white

N. Goodison, The Work of

marble base with paterae and swags.

Matthew Boulton. pl. 161 fig. r.

English Circa 1770

A pair of this model are in the collection

Width 4½” 11.5cm

of the Earl of Bradford at Weston Park,

Depth 3¾” 9.5cm

Shropshire.

Height 9” 23cm

Another pair in the Leisdorf Collection, sold June 1974, lot 95.

PROVENANCE

Mrs Gabrielle Keiller. Private Collection, USA.


10

Opposite: 50823

52013

A Late Eighteenth Century Satinwood Wheel Barometer Signed Richard Ganthony, Lombard Street, London

Bookcase (see page 10)

English Circa 1790 Height 4’ 2½” 1.23m

One of a pair of Chairs (see page 12)

51952

75043

One of a pair of Life Size Basso Relievo Paintings of Ducks in their Original Frames by William Hayes Width 19” 48.5cm & 19¾” 50cm Height 14½” 37cm & 15¼” 39cm 52075

Vulliamy Clock (see page 14)

51956

Writing Table (see page 15) 51984

One of a pair of George III ‘Temple’ Form Candlesticks (see page 93)


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

11


12

52013

A Regency Period Bookcase A highly refined Regency period bookcase incorporating numerous design elements from the work of one of the most significant designers of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, the connoisseur, collector, designer, and author Thomas Hope (1769-1831). English Circa 1815 Width 35” 89cm Depth 16¼” 41.5cm Height 83” 211cm Thomas Hope was part of a successful banking family from Amsterdam. He spent seven years travelling about the Mediterranean on his Grand Tour collecting artefacts and sketching the architecture. Having settled in London to escape the French invasion of Holland, he set about enlarging, designing and furnishing his mansion on Duchess Street in a neo-classical style. Having completed the work, he sent out tickets to sixty members of the Royal Academy allowing admittance to the house for the bearer and three friends. Despite some resentment at these unsolicited invitations, people did visit and on the whole they were extremely impressed. Hardly surprising then that his furniture started to be replicated. However, unimpressed by the lack of accuracy, he published his designs in Household Furniture & Interior Decoration to improve the copies being produced. As mentioned above, there are a number of features on this bookcase which may be found in Hope’s designs, including the rather idiosyncratic scale-pattern grilles at the top and bottom of the upper section doors. The full list of motifs and their source is below.


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

The bookcase is also unusual in being glazed

on a disc seen in this cabinet. He further

- For the moulding pattern in the

to the bottom as well as the top. It is far more

alluded to Hope in surviving accounts,

top cornice: ibid., plate XXXIX.

typical for glazed upper-door cabinets to

notably ‘2 Hope Canopy Testers’ supplied to

have solid doors below. The nearest parallel

the Earl of Breadalbane in 1812.

for this form is a bookcase by George Bullock

13

- Laurel Wreaths: Thomas Hope, ibid., plate II. - Mounts flanking drawer: ibid., plate

(perhaps one of the pair supplied by Bullock

Despite these comparisons, it is not possible

XII, No.1, Plate XLI, No. 13.

for Napoleon on St Helena; see George

to attribute this cabinet to a particular

- The scrolls to the cornice: ibid.,

Bullock exhibition catalogue 1988, cat. no.

maker. What can be said is that it is of

39). However, this cabinet is far too light and

such a quality that it would certainly have

refined to have been made by Bullock.

been made in London and that its cost of

REFERENCE

manufacture preclude all but the wealthiest

George Bullock exhibition catalogue 1988,

clients from having commissioned it.

cat. no. 39). Richard Brown published a

Another possible maker might have been John McLean. Although there are parallels

plate XLIII, No.2.

derivation of this design in The Rudiments of

in the form, construction and quality of

DESIGN MOTIF SOURCES

Drawing Cabinet and Upholstery Furniture

this piece, there is not enough evidence

- For the scale-pattern grilles:

(1822), pl. XVIII (see Frances Collard,

to attribute it to McLean. This is also the

Thomas Hope, Household Furniture

Regency Furniture (1985), pp. 116–17).

case with another major cabinet maker of

(1807), plate XI, No. 2.

James Newton by Giles Ellwood, Furniture

this period, James Newton. Newton was

- For the crossed bars centred on a

certainly influenced by Hope and produced

disc of some sort: ibid., plate XII,

a design for a klismos chair and another

No. 5, and plate XVII, No. 5.

chair, with the same crossed bars centred

History Society (FHS) Journal vol XXXI, p.129.


14


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

15

51984

A Pair of George III Side Chairs The chairs are neo-classical in period displaying all the classic motifs of that style including husks, bell flowers and paterae which are all finely carved. The chairs are enhanced by the golden colour the mahogany has become and by the movement in the design. Between 1785-90 Gillow produced a design for the back of these chairs. Illustrated in Gillow Furniture designs 1760-1800 by L. Boynton. fig. 32. p.160 English Circa 1780 PROVENANCE

Private Collection, Sweden. Purchased from Apter-Fredericks Ltd., 1982.


16

52075

William Beckford’s Mantel Clock by Benjamin Vulliamy Having two seated lions flanking the circular

This clock is one of the documented examples

This example is recorded as being delivered

clock case with an enamelled dial above a

supplied

to W. Beckford, March 5th 1799.

panelled plinth. The movement engraved

Vulliamy to William Beckford (1760-1844),

Benjamin Vulliamy London No.309.

one of the most renowned connoisseurs of

William Beckford was probably best known

the Georgian era.

for the creation and furnishing of Fonthill

by

the

Royal

Clock-Maker,

Width 9” 23cm

Abbey. A 9-year collaboration with the

Depth 4¾” 12cm

Vulliamy received the Royal Warrant

architect James Wyatt which displayed

Height 9½” 24cm

in 1773. The firm were known for their

his eye for magnificence. Beckford lived at

luxurious and technically advanced clocks.

Fonthill until his debts forced him to sell

PROVENANCE

They kept meticulous records and numbered

in 1822.

William Beckford, 1799.

their clocks.

Private Collection, USA.


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

51956

An Early Regency Period End Support Writing Table Some would say, and we would include ourselves here, that this table represents the best of the Regency period. Simple, elegant and refined. The top, which has a lift up reading slope, has re-entrant corners which soften the rectangular shape. That shape is emphasised by the simple gilt band running around the edge, and the table stands on simple end supports without the obtrusive stretcher seen on later tables. English Circa 1800 Width 47¾” 121.5cm Depth 28¼” 72cm Height 29½” 75cm

17


18


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

19

51249

A George II Walnut Serpentine Front Commode This commode is distinguished by the use of

handles are closely related to examples found

a marble top, rarely seen applied to English

on a bookcase supplied by Chippendale for

furniture of the mid-eighteenth century.

Dumfries House (see Christopher Gilbert,

Its idiosyncrasies continue with the use

The Life and Works of Thomas Chippendale,

of walnut veneers as opposed to the more

1978, vol. II, figs. 63 and 264).

typical choice of mahogany favoured by cabinet-makers of the period.

The carved shell motif flanked by acanthus scrolls to the centre of the apron seen here

English Circa 1755

is mirrored on a library armchair attributed

Width 43¼” 110cm

to Paul Saunders, sold Sotheby’s London,

Depth 26” 66cm

18 November 2008, lot 328.

Height 34¼” 87cm The carving to the apron of the present ATTRIBUTION

commode has affinities with that on a George

It would be exceptional to find a positive

III fustic and padouk kneehole desk, now

attribution for such an unusual piece from

tentatively attributed to Wright and Elwick

this period. However, we have found three

(see Christie’s Wentworth Woodhouse,

comparisons that are worth making. The

8 July 1998, p. 112).


20

75099

A Regency Scarlet & Gilt Tole Magician’s Box A wonderfully rare object. When the lid is raised in one direction it reveals a false die, when opened the other way it reveals the true die. This die may be removed from the top but more importantly from the bottom allowing the trick to be performed. Possibly Pontypool Circa 1820 Height 7¼” 18cm PROVENANCE

Private Collection, USA. EXHIBITED

The Grosvenor House Art & Antiques Fair, (with Stair & Co.).


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

75021

A Queen Anne Gilt Gesso Pier Mirror This impressive mirror has a divided bevelled and arched mirror plate framed by a gilt gesso border. The gesso has been carved with a selection of motifs typical to this period. The principal motif is strapwork, but this is interrupted by foliage and shells set against an incised diaper pattern ground. The frame is surmounted by a stylised foliate crest carved with a shell and strapwork. English Circa 1710 Width 36� 91.5cm Height 87� 221cm PROVENANCE

Private Collection, USA.

21


22


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

23

51977

A George III Adam Period Serving Table Attributed to Mayhew & Ince This superbly proportioned table is likely to be the work of the famous London cabinet making partnership, Mayhew & Ince. Comparisons may be made between the carved central entablature on this table and the carved motif repeated along the frieze of a commode supplied to George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchelsea & 4th Earl of Nottingham for Burley-on-the-Hill, Rutland. More latterly in the Simon Sainsbury Collection. The similarities in treatment of the ribbons, the draped bell flowers and clasped seeds allows little doubt as to the validity of the attribution. The table is made of mahogany, with a well patinated top, which has faded to a glorious golden colour. It is beautifully carved with ribbons and swags, fluting and stop fluting and rosettes with trailing bell flowers. It is an excellent sign of the quality of this table that the sides and rear legs are decorated in the same manner as the front. English Circa 1780 Length 84” 213cm Depth 30½” 77.5cm Height 34” 86cm REFERENCE

Christies. Simon Sainsbury Sale. 18th June 2008. vol.II, lot 250. R. Edwards, The Dictionary of English Furniture, 1954, vol. II, p.52, fig.56.


24

52059

A Large George III Blue John Urn The turned Blue John vase appears to be from one of the more compact veins, possibly the Old Dining Room Vein. It stands on an Ashford marble base with alabaster mouldings and Blue John sides. English Circa 1800 Height 13½” 34.5cm Width 5” 13cm


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

75005

A Pair of George III Gilt-wood Wall Brackets Each rectangular shelf with beaded lower edge and tapering sides over a tapering fluted and scalloped support with acanthus and fruited finial. English Circa 1785 Width 11½” 29cm Height 17½” 45cm

25


26


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

90237

A Regency Period Circular Expanding Dining Table The table of outstanding quality with a

English Circa 1810

PROVENANCE

classic Regency base supporting a faded

Height 28½” 72cm

Private Collection, England.

mahogany top with a reeded edge and

Smaller Diameter 63” 160cm

four curved leaves which may be clipped

Larger Diameter 80” 203cm

to the table to increase its diameter.

27


28

75090

A Regency Period Giltwood Convex Mirror The convex mirror plate within a reeded ebony slip within a further border decorated with ebonised stars and gold spheres. The surround with deeply carved foliage which rises up to a platform upon which an eagle perches. The mirror flanked by two candle arms with brass nozzles, cut glass drips pans and drops. English Circa 1815 Width 37� 94cm Height 58� 147.5cm PROVENANCE

Private Collection, USA.


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

75178

An Amboyna Veneered Side Cabinet The stunning veneer employed in this

English Circa 1820

cabinet is amboyna. A wood which was

Width 59¼” 150.5cm

selected for its tightly spaced graining and

Depth 16½” 42cm

wonderfully rich colour. On this cabinet it

Height 35” 89cm

has been combined with ebony mouldings and carved capitals and plinths to the

On cabinet are

columns. The cabinet having two doors

75153 Pair of greyhounds (see page 97)

flanking the central section which has a

52075 Vulliamy clock (see page 14)

mirror back.

29


30

52030

A Pair of George III Serpentine Fronted Chests of Drawers Each mahogany chest having a well figured

English Circa 1790

top above a serpentine shaped front with four

Width 40¼” 102cm

graduated drawers each with lion mask ring

Depth 21½” 54cm

handles. The chests supported on four shaped

Height 32¾” 83cm

bracket feet. The colour of the timber has changed over time and that, with the build

PROVENANCE

up of patination, imparts a sense of warmth

Apter-Fredericks Ltd.,

and makes the chests all the more appealing.

Private Collection, London.


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

31


32

90240

A Regency Period Tripod Table The table has the most exceptional coloured sabicu top supported on a faceted column inlaid with ebony decoration above a three splay base. To the top of the column is a small drawer, a feature we have never seen before. English Circa 1800 Width 19” 48.5cm Depth 19” 48.5cm Height 29” 74cm


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

33

51970

A Marquetry Tray Attributed to George Simson The most distinctive feature in the marquetry

English Circa 1780

manufacture, and latterly the firm identified

of this tray is the superbly naturalistic

Width 32” 81.5cm

their work with a stamp (recorded on at least

oval paterae, with petal-like lobes curled

Depth 24¾” 63cm

one piece dating from the 1830s). The items

up at the ends in an illusionistic manner.

so marked vary widely in style, so it is likely

Other features of the tray’s execution are

This refined marquetry tray is undoubtedly

that some at least were subcontracted to

no less accomplished, including the careful

by the same maker as a pembroke table

other makers and only retailed by Simson.

selection of veneers and the use of wavy-

bearing the trade label of George Simson,

Among the labelled pieces is another

lined joints in the outer burr-yew banding

‘Upholder, Cabinet Maker & Undertaker’

pembroke table of similar format – with a

to disguise its short sections. The upright

of 19 St Paul’s Churchyard. This substantial

central oval paterae – but not self-evidently

outer edge is expertly plied in three layers,

business, established in the 1780s, continued

by the same maker.

to strengthen its curved form, and trimmed

trading until 1839, latterly perhaps under

on top by a narrow cross-banded convex

the control of Simson’s son. The Simson

beading. Finally, the silvered handles have

label is recorded on a number of pieces of

clearly been purpose-made to fit this piece.

late eighteenth to early nineteenth century


34

51991

A Queen Anne Japanned Cabinet An outstanding lacquer bureau cabinet

CONDITION

which conforms to a pattern of five known

The interior of this cabinet is amongst the

examples. These are amongst the most

best preserved examples of lacquer work

elaborate and impressive examples of English

from the early eighteenth century. The

Japanning made at this time. Of the four, this

mirror plates and carrying handles are

example is the only one which does not have

original. The feet have been damaged over

a bombé base, however in all other aspects

the years but are predominantly original

they are clearly from the same workshop.

and during restoration revealed traces of the original gilding. The gilt-wood crest has been

The bombe base seen in the other examples has

replaced as have the handles to the drawers

led to the suggestion that these bookcases may

on the base.

have been made in Germany. This was an idea first mooted in the 1950s but further research

English Circa 1725

has confirmed that this form of furniture was

Width 45½” 115cm

most certainly English. Furniture makers

Depth 20” 51cm

like Giles Grendey (working in London in

Height 101½” 258cm

the first half of the eighteenth century) had a large export business to the continent and

REFERENCE

this might have contributed to the mistaken

Other examples illustrated;

suggestion that they were German. However,

Grosvenor House Art & Antiques Fair

there is absolutely no doubt that both the

Handbook, 1979. Example illustrated by

construction techniques employed and the

Mallett.

materials used are entirely English.

Sotheby’s London, May 1989 Lot 89. Christie’s Madrid, 16 May 1974 (illustrated in

It should also be noted that the quality of

Christie’s Review).

the construction and decoration are of the

H. Huth Lacquer of the West, fig. 195. Red

superlative nature one would expect from a

Bureau Cabinet formerly at Schloss Pillnitz.

London made piece.


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

35



IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

37


38


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

52003

A Pair of George III Sheraton Period Card Tables Their wonderful serpentine shape is emphasised

English Circa 1790

by the narrow frieze and tapering legs which are

Width 36” 92cm

decorated with swags, flowers and rosettes. The

Depth 18” 46cm

tops have faded mahogany panels with a satinwood

Height 29½” 75cm

banding inlaid with scrolling foliage and bell flowers. PROVENANCE

Pairs of tables of this period have become extremely

Apter-Fredericks, Ltd.

hard to find and we were delighted to have been able

Private Collection, Portugal.

to buy this pair back from an old client.

39


40

51860

51786

A George III Giltwood Pier Mirror

A Pair of Matthew Boulton Candle Vases

English Circa 1760

English Circa 1775

Width 36” 91cm

Height 9¾” 25cm

Height 71¾” 182cm 51547 90252

A Pair of Isaac Spackman Pictures (see page 44) 90232

A Pair of Flight Barr & Barr Wine Coolers English Circa 1820

A Regency Gilt & Patinated Bronze & Cut Glass Spirit Cask Celebrating Nelson’s Victory at the Nile English Circa 1810 Width 12¼” 3lcm Depth 10½” 27cm Height 11” 28cm

Width 12½” 32cm Height 13” 33cm 51919

A Pair of George III Chippendale Period Torchères (see page 42)

51183

A Pair of Chippendale Period Carved Mahogany Gainsborough Armchairs (see page 40) 51833

51751

One of a Pair of Commodes Attributed to Mayhew & Ince

A Rare George II Mahogany Bottle Carrier Irish Circa 1750

English Circa 1775-80

Width 26” 66cm

Width 54½” 138cm

Depth 16½” 42cm

Height 35” 89cm

Height 20½” 52cm

Depth 27¼” 69cm


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

41


42


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

43

51183

A Pair of George II Carved Mahogany Gainsborough Armchairs The serpentine backs and seats upholstered

which are an excellent indication of the high

in eighteenth century gros-point floral

quality of these chairs.

needlework with curved arm supports carved with acanthus and flowers on a punched

One from the pair, illustrated in The More

ground and a seat rail with similarly carved

Significant Georgian Furniture, F. Lewis

mahogany show-wood supported by carved

Hinckley pl. 39, p. 33.

cabriole legs terminating in scrolled feet. Width 29” 74cm This superb pair of chairs are remarkable

Depth 29” 74cm

for the colour and depth of patination to

Height 39¾” 101cm

the wood and the superbly carved seat rails


44

51919

A Pair of George III Chippendale Period Torchères Very much in the Chinese taste so prevalent

patron had them made to imitate and to flank a

in 1760’s England, this pair of torchères are

lacquer cabinet with the same decoration.

decorated to imitate oriental lacquer. One feature that is particularly unusual is the

English Circa 1760

speckled decoration in the flutes and to the

Height 47” 119.5cm

gallery. This is a feature more commonly seen

Diamater of octagonal top 12½” 31.5cm

on Japanese decorative pieces from this period and indicates that the cabinet maker responsible

PROVENANCE

had access to examples of this work.

Sold Sotheby’s New York, 23rd October 1998, lot 331.

Bearing in mind the quantity of furniture which was made on a commission basis, it is tempting to speculate that, in this case, the

Mrs Dorothy Edwards, Atlanta, Georgia.



46

90252

A Pair of George III Embossed Bird Pictures Attributed to Isaac Spackman These pictures, which would appear to be

books, Edwards studied these assiduously

Edwards’

in their original frames, are numbered 2

and, having made up his mind not to enter

source material for Samuel Dixon’s first

and 6. The different birds seen in each of the

business, decided to travel abroad. Between

set of ‘Foreign Birds’, issued in 1750 and

pictures are taken from original prints by

1716 and 1733 he visited many foreign

subsequent works by Isaac Spackman.

George Edwards and may be seen in signed

countries but in December of the latter year

examples by Isaac Spackman. One painting

settled down in London and, through the

Isaac Spackman (fl. c.1750-71) was perhaps

illustrating a Golden Crested Pheasant and

influence of Sir Hans Sloane, was chosen as

the most accomplished and prolific of artists

Cranes, the other with a White Chinese

Librarian to the Royal College of Physicians.

who specialised in bird pictures. Described

Pheasant Hen and Cock with a smaller

Almost immediately he commenced the

after his death by Horace Walpole as ‘a

Blue Ouzel.

preparation of a series of coloured drawings

painter of birds, of Islington, London, he

of animals and birds for his A Natural

also worked in watercolour on vellum’.

English Circa 1760

History of Uncommon Birds, published

Spackman produced his first set of twelve

Width 17” 43cm

1743 - 53. He was awarded the Gold Medal of

bird pictures in 1754, and further sets in

Height 20½” 52cm

the Royal Society and later elected a Fellow.

1764 and 1769, the earlier sets relating closely

Such was the impact on Natural History that

to those of Dixon, and in turn to George

George Edwards (1694–1773) was born

Edwards is considered to have almost single-

Edwards’ original illustrations.

at Stamford, Essex and was educated at

handedly popularized the art of bird and

public school in Leytonstone, later being

animal illustration, and is thus known as

apprenticed to a tradesman in London.

“The Father of British Ornithology.”

Having access to a large library of scientific

publication

provided

the


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

75089

A Pair of George III Blue John Urns Each of tapering form on an ashford marble and alabaster plinth. The Blue John from the Winnats One Vein. English Circa 1790 Height 13½” 34cm PROVENANCE

Private Collection, USA.

47


48

51711

A Pair of Rococo Gilt-wood Pier Glasses Possibly by George Cole of Golden Square A superbly drawn pair of gilt-wood mirrors from the mid eighteenth century. These mirrors came from the same house and from a design perspective, were clearly made to work with each other. However, there is a size difference between the two mirrors. ATTRIBUTION

These pier glasses may have been carved in the same workshop as a distinctive group of furniture from St Giles’s House, Dorset, notably a pair of pier glasses that each have a similarly idiosyncratic group of sheep in an open cartouche at the bottom. This pair of mirrors, though rather more lavishly carved, also have comparable trailing flowers, C-scrolls and inner vertical sides formed as vestigial pillars with capitals. A picture-frame clearly from the same workshop as the pier mirrors was sold from St Giles’s House in 1980, together with another less closely related picture-frame and a side-table with a larger cluster of sheep in the apron cartouche. The sheep motif recurs in a pier glass of unknown origin, somewhat similar in composition to the present examples though more densely carved. The squirrel motif recurs in a remarkable set of pier glasses at Blair Castle, Perthshire, which were supplied to the Duke of Atholl by the upholsterer George Cole of Golden Square in 1761 and 1763.


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

It has generally been assumed that these mirrorframes could not have been manufactured in Cole’s workshop, and they have been tentatively attributed to Johnson himself, again on the analogy of his Collection of Designs. However, they also relate, and may be indebted, to a design by Matthias Lock, which is of similar profile and likewise displays a full-length human figure in the cresting – a highly unusual and ambitious treatment. This relationship to the publications of two different designers is entirely consistent with production in yet a third London workshop. The reluctance of historians to credit Cole seems to arise chiefly from the fact that little is known of his career or output. However, it must be significant that he was also paid substantial sums for work at Corsham Court, where the State Bedroom houses a pair of oval pier glasses – again with squirrels – that closely correspond to a design by Thomas Johnson. The likelihood is that Cole supplied the Corsham mirrors too. He may of course have subcontracted these and the Blair mirrors to Thomas Johnson, or he may himself have supervised their production in his own workshop, taking inspiration from published designs. If he ran a more ambitious workshop than has so far been realized, he is also a candidate for the maker of the present mirrors. Mirror (left) Width 36” 91.5cm Height 72” 183cm Mirror (right) Width 32” 93cm Height 71” 180cm

49


50

52048

A Pair of Mahogany Demi Lune Commodes One commode has a drawer above a cupboard door opening to

English Circa 1790

reveal a bank of three drawers. The other commode has a door

Width 36½” 92cm

with a dummy drawer and opens to reveal shelves. Typical of

Depth 20¼” 51.5cm

the Sheraton period of the later part of the eighteenth century,

Height 36” 91cm

the commodes are light in feeling and make the most of contrasting figured veneers and tulipwood bandings. They

PROVENANCE

also benefit from having faded over time and having developed

With Jeremy Antiques. Advertised in

a rich warm colour.

Connoisseur Magazine, September 1981.


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

51


52


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

53


54

51965

The Lulworth Castle Dragon Chairs These

wonderful

chairs

with

their

PROVENANCE

concentrated on the main reception rooms

quirky ‘Chinese’ ornament – notably the

This pair of chairs were almost certainly

and the Chapel, but in the 1750s he moved

intertwined dragons on the top rail – show

supplied to Edward Weld (1705–1761) for

on to the bedrooms: the principal bedroom

an inventiveness paralleled in the work of

Lulworth Castle, his ancestral home in Dorset.

on the first floor was hung with crimson silk

few other makers. While the overall design

damask in 1755–56.

reveals an awareness of Chinoiserie patterns

Soon after he came of age in 1726, Weld

published by Thomas Chippendale, Mayhew

began to refurbish the Jacobean house, a

The present ‘Chinese’ chairs were almost

& Ince and Robert Manwaring, it is not

gradual process that continued for over

certainly ordered for these family bedrooms,

directly indebted to any of these but is a

thirty years. Most of the work was entrusted

and several sets were supplied with minor

wholly idiosyncratic idiom.

to the local family firm of architect-builders,

variations. The type shown here differ only

joiners and upholders, the Bastards of

slightly from another pair of chairs that

Blandford Forum. Up to the mid-1740s Weld

were sold by a descendant of Edward Weld

English Circa 1755-1759

in 1991. These small differences may be due simply to individual carvers’ interpretations of a single design. A more distinct variant, of which four were also sold in 1991, has flowers and foliage carved on the seat rails instead of Chinese fretwork. Yet another pattern was produced with a more elaborate carved and fretwork chair-back. The chairs can be attributed with nearcertainty to the Bastard workshop, which during this period was managed by John (c. 1688–1770) and William (c. 1689–1766), two of the six sons of the firm’s founder Thomas Bastard (d. 1720). Consistent with manufacture in a country town is the choice of timbers – walnut for the show-wood (when mahogany would have been usual in London) and ash for the seat rails (which in Londonmade furniture were almost always beech).


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

52036

A George III Carved Mahogany Kettle Stand The top, with a spindle gallery, is a very good colour and sits upon a fluted column, supported on a tripod base formed by overlapping carved ‘C’ scrolls terminating in scroll feet. The carved decoration on the legs is identical to the decoration on a kettle stand formerly in the Leisdorf Collection. One can speculate as to whether the tables were made in the same workshop or whether the pattern for the decoration was published and available as a design source. English Circa 1765 Diameter 12” 31cm Height 23½” 60cm REFERENCE

Sotheby’s & Co. The Leisdorf Collection, New York 1974. lot 62.

55


56

75083

A Regency Brass Inlaid Mahogany Occasional Table with

English Circa 1815

calamander banding and brass moulding

Width 23¼” 59cm

above a frieze with a single drawer,

Depth 17½” 44cm

paneled sides and a carved leaf motif on

Height 28½” 73cm

The

rounded

rectangular

top

the corners. The table supported on four foliate capped turned reeded legs with

PROVENANCE

brass socket castors.

Private Collection, USA.


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

57

52053

A Set of Five George III Period Counter Trays Given their quality, these counter trays

the door panels at Kedleston Hall and on

would have been made by one of the leading

tea-trays and caddies. Likewise the delicate

papier maché makers of the period. Henry

border patterns closely conform to those on

Clay of course, is an obvious candidate

our table, and other Clay pieces.

for their manufacture, and there are certainly enough comparable similarities

English Circa 1790

to be confident in this attribution. There

Width of larger tray 5” 12.5cm

are similarities in their decoration with

Width of four smaller trays 4” 10cm

that found on a table we recently sold. For example, the central motifs are painted in

REFERENCE

a manner very like those seen on the table,

Apter-Fredericks, Important English

and also like comparable motifs on other

Furniture, vol. V, p.94-95.

marked or documented Clay pieces, namely


58

90241

An Unusual Mahogany & Brass Bottle Carrier The design of this table conforms to a number we have had over the years but this is the first we have come across with a brass handle. A wonderful conversation piece, partly for its unusual design but also because of its purpose. It was intended to allow gentlemen to serve themselves and dispense with the need of a servant at times when discretion was required. English Circa 1800 Height 34” 86.5cm Diameter 12½” 32cm EXHIBITED

The Grosvenor House Art & Antiques Fair, 1990. ILLUSTRATED

Apter-Fredericks, Fine Eighteenth Century English Furniture, 1990, p.26. Malletts Catalogue 1991, p.37.


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

51990

A George III Mahogany Circular Rent or Drum Table A very good Chippendale period rent table which

without the ‘estate agent’ having to move. The letters

retains its original swan-neck handles and has not

represent the first letter of the name of each farm being

been re-polished, hence the glorious golden colour.

rented out on a large estate.

The base, which benefits from the added interest provided by the ogee mouldings, has two real and two

English Circa 1765

dummy doors.

Height 30” 76.5cm Diameter 37” 94cm

As is normal with these tables, the top is leather lined and turns on the base allowing access to all the drawers

59


60

75105

A Pair of George III Carved Gilt-wood Over-Doors To each end of the over-door is a carved

on the Strand, London. These buildings

winged female sphinx which was a

were built by Robert and his brothers

regularly used motif in neo-classical

William and James, hence the name

interior design and furniture decoration at

Adelphi which comes from the Greek

the time these were made.

word for brothers, and were the first neoclassical buildings in London.

Indeed, their design has been attributed to Robert Adam, arguably one of the most

English Circa 1770

successful of eighteenth century architects

Length 55� 140cm

working in England. They are also reputed

Height 14� 36cm

to have come from The Adelphi Buildings


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

90250

A George III Chest of Drawers A delightful chest of drawers which combines

English Circa 1800

a variety of woods including satinwood,

Width 36½” 93cm

mahogany and tulipwood to create a highly

Depth 22” 56cm

decorative piece. The change in colour over

Height 35” 89cm

time to produce a variety of golden hues makes the chest all the more appealing. The top drawer with a fitted interior.

61


62

52037

A Pair of Sheraton Period Decorated Tripod Tables This delightful pair of tables are perfect for either

English Circa 1780

side of a sofa and large enough to accommodate a

Width 16” 41cm

pair of lamps. They have satinwood tops, which is

Depth 16” 41cm

quite unusual, decorated with a small amount of

Height 28¾” 73cm

painted decoration in the manner of Henry Kettle. The columns also have painted decoration and are supported on three splay bases.


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

75142

A George III Gilt-wood Mirror in the Manner of John Linnell This interesting mirror displays many of the motifs and certainly the originality of the leading London cabinet makers John & William Linnell. A comparison with their drawings reveals many of the motifs seen here illustrated in varying combinations. It is clearly combining the rococo design favoured by John Linnell with the influence of his son William, whose schooling at Hogarth’s Academy ensured an introduction of neo-classical design to the work produced by the firm. English Circa 1775 Width 34” 87cm Height 66” 168cm REFERENCE

H. Hayward, The Drawings of John Linnell in the Victoria & Albert Museum. FHS journal, 1969, figs 88-95. PROVENANCE

Private Collection, USA.

63


64


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

65

90210

A George III Mahogany Serving Table This highly interesting and idiosyncratic table is of extremely fine quality. The edge of the mahogany top is inlaid with an unusual diamond pattern decorative band. Below, is a central drawer spanning the concave centre of the frieze. In the middle is a carved entablature profusely decorated with oak leaves and acorns and to either side are mahogany panels bordered in tulipwood. The oak leaf and acorn theme is continued down each of the front legs before they end in spade feet. The use of the oak leaf motif, whilst not being unique, is certainly unusual and in this case, so well executed and profuse that it is fair to speculate that the client who commissioned the table must have specified its use. Possibly the house this table was destined for, or the client himself, had a connection to oak or perhaps more likely, the oak tree might have figured in the family coat of arms. English Circa 1775 Width 69” 175cm Depth 28” 71cm Height 35½” 90cm PROVENANCE

Hotspur, London. Private Collection, Canada.


66


75111

A George III Mahogany Three Pedestal Dining Table The rounded rectangular top has

English Circa 1815

a reeded edge and is supported on

Length 124” - 171” 315cm - 434.5cm

three pedestals, each with double-

Width 49½” 126cm

tapered stems on splayed reeded legs

Height 27½” 70cm

headed by carved roundels and with foliate-cast brass feet and castors.

PROVENANCE

The table having two sets of insertion

Private Collection, USA.

leaves, a larger set (24” 61cm) seen

Apter-Fredericks, Ltd.

here and a smaller set (12” 30.5cm).


68


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

69


70

Previous spread: 52042

A Matched Pair of George III Yew-wood Tables Attributed to Mayhew & Ince While not a pair, these two small tables

years replaced it with a Tudor Gothic manor

- A card table and a dressing-table at

clearly came from the same workshop. No

house. William Hodgson changed his name

Blenheim Palace, almost certainly part of

exact parallels have been found for their

to Hodgson Cadogan in 1833 when he

the Duke of Marlborough’s commission

rather distinctive forms – both with a shelf

inherited his wife’s family estates. William

to Mayhew & Ince (Hugh Roberts, ‘Nicely

at stretcher level, one of these recessed at the

and Sarah bore a son, named Cadogan

fitted up’: furniture for the Fourth Duke of

front. However, the marquetry decoration

Hodgson Cadogan and his daughter,

Marlborough’, Furniture History, vol. 30

allows a confident attribution to Mayhew &

Eleanor inherited Brinkburn Priory through

(1994), figs 23–25).

Ince. The prominent use of yew-wood veneer

the terms of her brother’s will. She married

is highly characteristic of the firm, and its

Hugh Fenwick in 1876.

arrangement in quartered panels of radiating

& Ince, sold Christie’s New York, 8 April 2004, lot 145 (which is also veneered in

figure, as seen on the tops, is probably unique

ATTRIBUTION

to them. Documented and firmly accredited

The Use of Yew:

instances of the various traits associated

- A group of side tables supplied by Mayhew

with the firm are listed below.

- A dressing-table attributed to Mayhew

& Ince to the Earl of Kerry (two of them in the Lady Lever Art Gallery); see Charles

yew, but with a burr figure) - A breakfront bookcase attributed to Mayhew & Ince, advertised by Asprey, Country Life, 2 December 1993 - A

bookcase

published

in

Mallett’s

English Circa 1770

Cator, ‘The Earl of Kerry and Mayhew &

brochure, 2005, p. 67 (there described as

Width 22½” 57cm

Ince’, Furniture History, vol. 26 (1990), pp.

‘in the manner of’ Mayhew & Ince, but an

Depth 16½” 42cm

27–33

attribution is justified.

Height 28” 71cm

- A secretaire at Chevening Kent (where Mayhew & Ince supplied furniture); a

The same Vitruvian scroll motif executed

PROVENANCE

very similar example was sold Christie’s

in carved mahogany appears in furniture

The Fenwick Family, Brinkburn Priory,

9 December 2010, lot 96 – and other

well-attributed to Mayhew & Ince, for

Northumberland

comparisons are cited in the catalogue.

instance a remarkable mahogany bookcase

In 1626 Brinkburn Priory was purchased

- A pair of bombé commodes with

sold at Christie’s 8 July 1993, lot 111. This

by George Fenwick, and the Fenwick family

provenance from Langford Grove, Essex,

is of particular interest as it was very

lived here until 1747. By 1766 the house was

sold at Christie’s London, 3 July 1997,

characteristic of the firm to execute identical

in ruins and in 1792 the estate was sold to

lot 97; and another nearly identical from

motifs in both carving and marquetry

the Hetherington family.

Simon Sainsbury’s collection, Christie’s

(see LMW, The Lady Lever Art Gallery:

John Hetherington immediately began work

London 18 June 2008, lot 65 – with other

Catalogue of Commodes (1994), cat. no. 22,

on repairing the house but died in 1808

comparisons cited in the latter catalogue.

p. 202).

when the work was left to his son-in-law, Richard Hodgson. His son, Major William

The slender Vitruvian scroll in the frieze

Hodgson demolished the older manor house

is also paralleled in several well accredited

in about 1831, and over the following six

pieces, notably:


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

75034

A Pair of George III Oval Girandoles The mirrors having Prince of Wales feathers

English Circa 1780

to the crest which are surrounded by a

Width 21” 53cm

garland of oak leaves and acorns. This motif

Height 49” 124.5cm

is continued below. The twin branch candle arms add enormous appeal to the mirrors

PROVENANCE

and when candles are lit, the play of light

Private Collection, USA.

across the gilding and the soft light reflected into the room make the effect very special.

71


52033

An Important Mahogany Commode Attributed to William Gomm & Son This outstanding commode is strikingly similar to commodes supplied to Edward, 5th Lord Leigh at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire in circa 1763, the year he came of age. In this period, the firm of William Gomm & Son, cabinet-maker and upholsterer of Clerkenwell Close, London, were the principal suppliers of furniture to Stoneleigh Park; the commission from 12 May 1763 to October of the following year totalled a substantial £818 9s (Ed. G. Beard, C. Gilbert, Dictionary of English Furniture Makers 1660-1840, 1986, p. 350). At least six ‘Exceeding fine Serpentine Commode Dressing

1906, p.146, fig. 129; another is illustrated in

Tables’ were supplied to Lord Leigh by William

R.W. Symonds, Furniture Making in Seventeenth

Gomm & Son, five of these were charged at 12

and Eighteenth Century England, London, 1955,

guineas each and one at 15 guineas.

pp.110-111, figs.163 and 164; and a final commode from Moccas Court, Herefordshire, sold from

The existence of a design for a related chest of

the collection of H. J. Joel, Childwickbury,

drawers is included in Gomm’s sketchbook dating

Hertfordshire, Christie’s House sale, 15 May 1978,

from the early 1760s (now in the John Downs

lot 94.

Collection, Winterthur Library, Delaware, USA), illustrated in L. Boynton, ‘William & Richard

English Circa 1763

Gomm’, Burlington Magazine, June 1980, fig.

Width 48” 122cm

33, helps support the attribution of this group to

Depth 25” 63.5cm

Gomm. Significantly, the group include commodes

Height 33” 84cm

that have been in major collections of English furniture and illustrated in some of the more

REFERENCE

significant books on the subject.

The Burlington Magazine, June 1980, Lindsay Boynton, ‘William and Richard Gomm’, pp. 395-

Commodes from this group are illustrated in

400, fig. 33.

R.W. Symonds, Masterpieces of English Furniture

Geoffrey Beard and Christopher Gilbert, Dictionary

and Clocks, London, 1940, p.39, fig.28; another,

of English Furniture Makers 1660-1840, 1986, pp.

with carving between the drawers formerly in

115 and 349-350.

the collection of Viscount Enfield, is discussed

Sally

in P. Macquoid, The Age of Mahogany, London,

p. 162, pl. 136, A.

Jeffery,

The

Mansion

House,

1993,


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

73


74


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

75


76

52055

A George III Carved Mahogany Serpentine Sofa The sofa is of a form described in

by a pair of armchairs sold Christie’s London,

His initial training was as an apprentice to

contemporary pattern books such as Thomas

Longleat House, 13 June 2002, lot 338 which

the upholsterer Michael Bradshaw in 1738.

Chippendale’s Director and Mayhew and

are likewise attributed to Saunders.

The latter was probably related to George

Ince’s Universal System as ‘French’. This

Smith Bradshaw who became his business

example bears a number of characteristics

English Circa 1760

partner after 1750. The partnership ended

associated with the work of Paul Saunders.

Width 84¼” 214cm

in 1756, but Saunders was able to maintain

Depth 33½” 85cm

part of the workshop located in Sutton Street

Height 39½” 100cm

near Soho Square. In 1757 he was appointed

An attribution can be considered on the grounds of close affinities with a set of

‘Tapestry Maker to the King’ and in 1761

six armchairs and a set of nine single

Paul Saunders (b.1722-d.1771) supplied

he attained the additional role of ‘Yeoman

chairs probably supplied to the 1st Earl of

furnishings for both London and country

Tapestry Taylor’ in the Great Wardrobe,

Leicester for Holkham Hall, Norfolk by Paul

house clients in the 1750s and 1760s,

both of which positions he held until

Saunders in 1757 (see: Anthony Coleridge,

including

his death.

Chippendale Furniture, 1968, pls. 378-379).

Petworth House, Sussex, Holkham House,

Further evidence linking chairs exhibiting

Norfolk and Stowe, Buckinghamshire.

traits shared with the sofa here, is provided

Holderness

House,

London,


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

52011

A George III Drum Table of Small Size Simple lines, elegant form and highly practical, this table is a perfect example of eighteenth century furniture fitting in to the modern apartment or house. English Circa 1790 Diameter 24” 61cm Height 29½” 75cm

77


78

75219

A Regency Period Decorated Stool This interesting stool has an upholstered seat

English Circa 1825

above a hidden door concealed by simulated

Width 20” 51cm

book bindings. The theme carried through

Depth 15.5” 39cm

to the reverse of the stool where the back of

Height 20.5” 52cm

the books are also simulated.


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

75999

A Pair of Chinese Cloisonné Cranes These magnificent cranes are a reflection of the auspicious beliefs attached to red-capped cranes by the Chinese Court. According to legend, cranes could live for one thousand years or more and thus became associated with long life. In the context of the Imperial palaces they conveyed the wish for the Emperor to live a long life. The Chinese word for crane is he, which is a homophone for the word for harmony, and thus cranes also represent peace. Their long legs were described as resonating with the harmonies of nature and heaven. Chinese Late Eighteenth Century Height 9½” 24cm

79


80


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

81


82

52016

A Chinese Black & Gold Lacquer Screen Painted with an extensive lake landscape with scenes of pavilions, boats, figures, trees and mountains. The side cartouches are decorated with the Bo gu, or ‘Hundred Antiquities’ which consists of a group of archaic bronzes and objects from the scholar’s study, including gu vases with blooming peonies, fangding and bi discs, ruyi sceptres, ding, incense burner, musical stone and other precious objects. Chinese Circa 1850 Width 142” 361cm Height 71” 180cm


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

52050

A Pair of George III Decorated Pier Tables This delightful pair of satinwood tables

English Circa 1780

are decorated with floral bands to the tops

Width 30” 76cm

and panels to the frieze. At the time of

Depth 15” 37.5cm

manufacture the tables would have been a riot

Height 33” 83cm

of colour. The yellow satinwood contrasting with the purple amaranth borders and the

PROVENANCE

various colours of the flowers creating a

William Hulme Lever, 2nd

spectacular feast for the eye. Now the colours

Viscount Leverhulme.

have faded to an extent but the attractiveness

Purchased for the 1st floor landing at

of the tables is not diminished but rather

Thornton Manor by 1949 for £200.

enhanced with age.

83


84


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

85

51319

A Pair of ‘Harvey’ Armchairs Attributed to Gillow of Lancaster These chairs formed part of a set of ten

ATTRIBUTION

or more armchairs. One (from a group

The Gillow Estimate sketch books for the

of six sold by Norman Adams in 1965) is

period 1788 to 1797 illustrate designs for

illustrated in Christopher Claxton Stevens

various chairs which incorporate elements

and Stewart Whittington, 18th Century

seen in the present lot (see L Boynton,

English Furniture, The Norman Adams

Gillow Furniture Designs, Royston, 1995,

Collection, London, 1983, p.82.

no 272,273,275.) which would seem to link these chairs with this firm. The fine quality

English Circa 1780

of the carving and timber used, typical of the firm, would also support the attribution.

PROVENANCE

These chairs were almost certainly made

Further support for a Gillow attribution can

for lckwell Bury, Bedfordshire, the home of

be found because both chairs are stamped

the Harvey family. Originally built in 1680

RE. The stamp can be found on an armchair

for John Harvey, (illus. Country Life, May

which is identical to a set of chairs known to

5th 1955, p.1177) the house remained in

have been supplied by Gillow for the dining

family ownership until it was sold by John

room of Workington Hall, Cumberland

Audley Harvey in 1924. The house was sadly

for the Curwen family. The design for this

completely destroyed by fire in 1937. They

armchair appears in the Gillow sketch books

are recorded in an inventory of the contents

dated 19th January 1788 and intended for N.

of lckwell Bury in 1819.

Crompton, Esq., Manchester.

D.K.F. Heathcote Esq., Badlingham Manor,

The identity of RE is not conclusive, but the

Newmarket.

firm of Richard and Robert Edmundson or Edmondson, who were Freemen of Lancaster

REFERENCE

and had a cabinet-making business in

C. Claxton Stevens ‘A Group of Seat

Liverpool which started in 1781, must be a

Furniture stamped RE’, The Journal of the

distinct possibility. They are recorded on a

Regional Furniture Society, vol. XII, 1998,

number of occasions as working for Gillow

pp.1 56-1 59.

and set up an upholstery branch to their

For comparison, another related pair

cabinet-making business in 1788. They

is illustrated in L. Synge, Great English

could well have been subcontracted to do

Furniture, London, 1991, pl.143, p.126.

this work.


86

52093

An Exceptional George III Silver Table This extraordinarily rare table takes the form

English Circa 1765

of what is sometimes referred to as a ‘silver

Width 28½” – 48” 72.5cm – 122cm

or ‘tea’ table, designed for the serving of tea.

Depth 21” 53.5cm

This example has a mahogany top which is

Height 30” 76cm

of a very good colour with deep patination and has the very rare feature of a pull-out

REFERENCE

slide at each end. (one slide replaced)

The Collection of Irwin Untermeyer, Metropolitan Museum, New York. pl 201,

The pierced gallery has opposing ‘C’ scrolls at

fig 239.

each corner. This is a particular feature seen

Illustrates a tripod table with the

in a select group of tripod tables, including

same detailed gallery.

the example on page 94, which have been tentatively attributed to Mayhew & Ince.


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

87


88

75111

A Pair of George III Adam Period Gilt-wood Girandoles The lyre shaped frame topped by a palmette seen

PROVENANCE

here is associated with designs by the architect

Private Collection, USA.

Robert Adam. In particular, it relates to his

The Late H.J. Joel, Esq., The Stud House,

girandole pattern of 1770 executed by John Linnell

Childwickbury, Herts.

for Robert Child at Osterley Park, Middlesex. English Circa 1770 Width 15” 38cm Height 33½” 85cm


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

75024

A George III Mahogany Bracket Clock by Colley & Priest, London This exceptionally fine clock, in a superb mahogany case which has considerable presence, has a very important movement which incorporates all the features found in the work of their Masters; Thomas Tompion and George Graham. Interestingly, Colley and Priest’s workshop was located next door to Chippendale’s and it is felt that the case for this clock was made in his workshop. The movement with verge escapement and Tompion’s repeat work. The dial with silver spandrels and a silver signed cartouche. English Circa 1765 Height 26” 66cm EXHIBITED

The Grosvenor House Art & Antiques Fair, 1997. PROVENANCE

Private Collection, USA.

89


90

90251

A Pair of Regency Period Open Cabinets Of particularly fine quality, this pair of

of the rosewood with inlaid brass decoration

appealing for it. Unusualy for this form of

cabinets exhibit all the refinement and

would have been quite striking when the

furniture, there is a hidden drawer to each

quality of the best pieces of furniture from

colour of the rosewood was dark. Now, it has

frieze making them far more functional.

early in the Regency period. The combination

faded to a golden colour and is all the more


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

English Circa 1810

PROVENANCE

Width 30” 76cm

Apter-Fredericks Ltd,

Depth 12” 30cm

March 1993.

Height 33½” 85cm

Private Collection, UK.

91


92


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

75101

An Extremely Rare George III Mahogany Barometer by Whitehurst of Derby The silver dial within a highly carved circular frame with stylised acanthus carving below a tapering column surmounted by a carved capital and acorn finial. English Circa 1775 Width 14” 36cm Height 39” 99cm PROVENANCE

A Private Collection, USA. The Benjamin Sonnenberg Collection. Sold Sotheby’s NY. 1979. LITERATURE

D. Fitzgerald, A New Yorker’s Unusual Collection, pl. 150 fig. 15. John Whitehurst (1761-1834) was from a family of clockmakers established at 22 Irongate, Derby. This barometer belongs to a small group which are considered Whitehurst’s finest achievements. Of this group there are two very similar with urn shaped finials, one of which is illustrated in English Barometers by N. Goodison. The other is in the renowned collection of Jon Gerstenfeld in Washington. Another example, with missing finial, is in the Dictionary of English Furniture. REFERENCE

N. Goodison, English Barometers 1680-1860, p.284. E. Lennox-Boyd, Masterpieces of English Furniture, The Gerstenfeld Collection. p.242, fig.99. R. Edwards, The Dictionary of English Furniture, revised Ed., vol.1, p.34, fig.24.

93


94

75109

A George III Satinwood Side Cabinet This

outstanding

example

of

late

The cabinet stands on toupee feet

eighteenth century cabinet making is of

which have contrasting flutes and large

the very finest quality. The satinwood

brass castors.

veneers employed are interestingly figured and contrast well with the rosewood and

English Circa 1795

amaranth bandings and panels.

Width 71½” 183cm Depth 18” 46cm

The cabinet is unusual for having a superstructure,

which

adds

to

Height 46½” 118cm

the

usefulness and attractiveness of the piece.

PROVENANCE

Particularly appealing is the highly figured

Private Collection, USA.

satinwood panel and fretwork divides.

Stair & Company, May 1992.


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

75043

A Pair of George III ‘Temple’ Form Candlesticks A highly unusual pair of temples with

English Circa 1800

bronze columns instead of the more

Height 9½” 24cm

typical glass and alabaster drip pans. The combination of materials adding a chic quality to the candelabra.

95


96

51996

A George III Tripod Table of Rare Form An exceptional tripod table which belongs to a group of tables easily identified by the form of the base and the distinctive fretwork gallery. At this time we have identified six examples. In addition, illustrated on page 84 is a silver table which may be related as it has the same distinctive adjoined ‘C’ scrolls to the gallery. English Circa 1760 Width 20¼” 51.5cm Height 31½” 80cm ATTRIBUTION

This tripod table relates to designs for ‘Claw Tables’ published in Mayhew &

The tripod table in situ in the garden room at Bassetbury Manor

Ince’s pattern book, Universal System of Household Furniture of 1759-62, plate XIII.

Irwin Untermeyer Collection, Cambridge,

338-341 and 7 October 1933, pp. 362-366. A

Such is the quality and innovative nature

Massachusetts, 1958, pl. 201, fig. 239.

number of pieces from the Skull collection

of the design that this attribution may be

F. L. Hinckley, Metropolitan Furniture of

are illustrated in The Dictionary of English

entirely justified. However, at this point we

the Georgian Years, New York, 1988, p.70,

Furniture, including a kettle stand (1927,

are unable to be any more certain than to

fig. 154.

vol. III, p. 151, fig. 3) which may be seen in

suggest its possibility.

F. L. Hinckley, A Directory of Queen Anne,

the same photograph of the Garden Room

Early Georgian and Chippendale Furniture,

as the tripod table.

New York, 1971, pl. 155, fig. 357.

PROVENANCE

Fred Skull, Esq., Bassetbury Manor, High

JUDGE IRWIN UNTERMEYER (1886-1973)

Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, sold Christie’s

EXHIBITED

The collection of British decorative arts at the

London, 23 April 1952, lot 262 (to Rubin,

London, Grafton Galleries, Exhibition of

Metropolitan Museum of Art owes a huge

presumably for Pelham Galleries, for

Art Treasures, British Antique Dealer’s

debt to the generosity of a single benefactor,

£682 10s).

Association, 30 April - 26 May 1928

Judge Irwin Untermeyer. Judge Untermeyer

(exhibited by Fred Skull).

left the Museum over two thousand works of

Judge

Irwin

Untermyer,

New

York,

bequeathed to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1964.

art from an impressive collection that was FRED SKULL

refined and augmented over the course of

The table formed part of the exceptional

his life.

LITERATURE

collection of Fred Skull, formed under the

C. Hussey, ‘Bassetbury – II. High Wycombe,

guidance of the great furniture historian R.

In his forward to Yvonne Hackenbroch’s

Bucks., The Residence of Mr. F. Skull’,

W. Symonds in the early twentieth century.

catalogue English Furniture... in the Irwin

Country Life, 7 October 1933, p. 365, fig. 7

In 1929, Skull purchased and restored

Untermeyer Collection of 1958, he wrote:

(the table shown in situ in the Garden Room

Bassetbury Manor, a Jacobean country

”there has never been any time during

at Bassetbury).

house in High Wycombe. The house and

the past forty five years when I have not

Y. Hackenbroch, English Furniture with

collection are discussed in a two-part article

been interested in the acquisition of

some furniture of other countries in the

in Country Life, 30 September 1933, pp.

English furniture.”


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

97


98

52046

A Pair of George III Gilt-wood Brackets A pair of rococo gilt-wood brackets with beautifully carved pierced decoration including ‘C’ scrolls, foliage and ‘water’. English Circa 1760 Width 10¾” 27cm Depth 5” 13cm Height 10” 25.5cm


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

99

75153

A Pair of Regency Period Bronze Greyhounds Each patinated bronze greyhound reclines on a

(D. Watkin, Regency Furniture and Interior

white marble plinth banded with chased ormolu

Decoration, New York, 1971, p. 39).

decoration. Another pair have been attributed to Thomas Weeks English Circa 1810

(d. 1834) who established a ‘Royal Mechanical

Length 8” 20cm

Museum’ or emporium in Tichbourne Street in

Depth 4” 10cm

about 1797. The exhibits included various animated animals and insects, ingenious clocks, musical

PROVENANCE

instruments, elaborate temples, toys and other such

Private Collection, USA.

peculiarities that appealed to the London public in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century

A pair of greyhounds of identical design is

(C. Gilbert ‘Some Weeks cabinets reconsidered’,

depicted as a garniture on top of a chimney-

The Connoisseur, May 1971, p. 15). A signed

piece in Thomas Hope’s Household Furniture

Weeks inkstand with similar hound figure and

and Interior Decoration of 1807 (plate X) which

beaded white marble plinth was sold anonymously,

shows the interior of his Duchess Street house

Sotheby’s London, 5 July 1991, lot 25.


100


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

90248

A Pair of Nineteenth Century Marquetry Inlaid Étagères The étagères each have three tiers with

English Circa 1870

quartered veneer within a broad band inlaid

Width 16¼” 41cm

with floral marquetry in a variety of woods.

Depth 15” 38cm

Each tier finished with a pierced ormolu

Height 32½” 83cm

gallery and supported on columns that turn out below the bottom tier to form the feet with ormolu sabots and finials.

101


102


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

75097

A Regency Mahogany Writing Table by Gillows of Lancaster The leather lined rectangular top

English Circa 1810

with rounded corners above three

Width 48” 122cm

drawers to either side and supported

Depth 36” 91.5cm

on turned tapering reeded legs

Height 30” 77.5cm

terminating

in

brass

castors.

The table of excellent quality and

PROVENANCE

ofsuperb colour and patina.

Partridge Fine Arts, 1992. Private Collection, USA.

There are a number of similar tables with the same distinctive features

LITERATURE

supplied by Gillows for Tatton Park,

J. Hardy Furniture at Tatton Park,

Cheshire.

FHS journal 1970.

51713

A Pair of Regency Period Candlesticks This delightful pair of candlesticks,

They are made all the more charming

with a western depiction of an oriental

with each of them holding a parasol

couple are particularly romantic. The

which is hung with alternating acorns

lady holds a small cage from which

and bells. The acorns representing

she has released a love bird. The bird

strength and longevity and the bell

has flown to her lover who stands

the harmonious union between male

facing her with the bird perched on

and female.

his hand. Height 13” 33cm 75151

A Directoire Ormolu & Bronze Mantel Clock The circular enamelled dial with

Signed T. Boulengiere a la Haye.

maker’s signature within a leaf-tip and

France Circa 1790

guilloche frame. The tapering body

Height 15½” 39cm

mounted with pine cone finials and surmounted by an orrery. The clock supported on tapering and gadrooned socle on a rectangular plinth.

103


104

75173

A George III Gilt-wood Bracket Clock of Great Rarity The circular glazed Roman and Arabic-

PROVENANCE

chaptered white enamel dial with pierced

The Sir Michael Sobell Collection. Bought

blued hands and strike/silent lever above XII.

from Mallett at the Grosvenor House Art &

The four-pillar twin-chain fusee movement

Antiques Fair, 1959, and invoiced on 10 June

with tic-tac escapement and strike-on-bell.

for £525.

Four further pillars supporting a gilt barrel

Private Collection, USA.

movement cover, pull cords to the sides for trip strike repeat and spring-loaded pendulum

The acanthus-wrapped bracket features as a

activation. The bezel engraved with trailing

support for a vase in Robert & James Adam’s

foliage, in a gadrooned and beaded drum-

Works in Architecture, London, 1773-8, vol.

shaped case standing on flattened scroll feet

I., no. I, pl. VIII.

and an inverted breakfront plinth with fluted frieze and flower-head panelled angles. The

A related gilt-wood clock, supported by a pair

case flanked by laurel-swagged two-handled

of sphynxes standing on a plinth with fluted

urns, each with a pine cone finial, on a

frieze, flowered tablets and scrolled feet, is in

tapering acanthus bracket with spray boss.

the Court Room of the Bank of England. Its movement is by Edward Tutet of Fenchurch

The back-plate signed John Raymond

Street (see: R.J. Woods, English Furniture in

London.

the Bank of England, London, 1972, no. 38).

English Circa 1780 Width 18¼” 46cm Depth 8” 20cm Height 21½” 55cm


IMPORTANT ENGLISH FURNITURE

105


106

Page 20

Page 62

51686

51078

A PAIR OF GEORGE III BLUE JOHN COLUMNS English Circa 1780 Height 19” 48cm

A PAIR OF REGENCY PERIOD CUT GLASS CANDELABRA English Circa 1810-20, Width 10½” 27cm Height 16” 41cm

51687

Page 72

A NINETEENTH CENTURY BLUE JOHN URN English Circa 1830, Height 18½” 47cm Diameter 5½” 14cm Page 56

Settee image with 90239

A RARE PAIR OF REGENCY PERIOD MAHOGANY CELLARETS English Circa 1810, Width 21½” 54cm Depth 19” 48cm, Height 23½” 59cm

90244 & 90245

TWO BOHEMIAN GLASS BOTTLES Circa 1880 Page 57 51841

A MAHOGANY, FRUITWOOD & ORMOLU INKWELL French Circa 1820, Height 6½”16.5cm, Width 3¾” 9.5cm

The chandelier 51947

A NINE LIGHT CUT GLASS CHANDELIER BY PERRY & CO. English Circa 1860, Height 43½” 110.5cm Width 28” 71cm Page 88 52023 & 52024

TWO BLUE JOHN TAZZAS 75153 pr of Greyhounds (see page 97) 75099 Magic Box (see page 18)

Page 92

51940

51635

A PAIR OF FRENCH BRONZE FIGURES OF VOLTAIRE AND ROUSSEAU French Circa 1800, Height 18¼” 46cm

A PAIR OF REGENCY CUT GLASS DECANTERS Height 10½” 27cm

The painting Anthony Eyton, RA. (b 1923) BATHERS ON THE STEPS, VARINASI (NOW BENARES) Oil on Canvas, Width 59” 150cm Height 36½” 93cm

Acknowledgements Lucy Wood.

IMAGES

The William Gomm Drawing courtesy

Yvonne Jones.

The Garden Room, Bassetbury House

of The Wintethur Library: Joseph Downs

Daniel Brooke for the photography.

courtesy of the Country Life Picture Gallery

Collection of Manuscripts & Printed

Jason Hopper of District-6 for another superbly designed catalogue.

Ephemera.



265-267 Fulham Road, London SW3 6HY, United Kingdom Tel: +44 20 7352 2188 Fax: +44 20 7376 5619 Email: antiques@apter-fredericks.com www.apter-fredericks.com


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.