2003 Mallett Catalogue

MALLETT I.ON D O N • NEW YORK

141 NEW BOND STREET, LONDON W1 BOURDON HOUSE, 2 DAVIES STREET, LONDON W1

M A L L E T T IN B O N D S T R E E T GALLERY

andUkhLETT

M A L L E T T & S O N ( A N T I Q U E S ) LTD 141 N E W B O N D S T R E E T L O N D O N W I S 2BS T E L E P H O N E : +44 (0) 20 7 4 9 9 7 4 1 1 FAX: +44 (0) 20 7 4 9 5 3 1 7 9

M A L L E T T AT B O U R D O N

HOUSE

M A L L E T T AT B O U R D O N H O U S E L T D 2 DAVIES S T R E E T L O N D O N W I K 3DJ T E L E P H O N E : +44 (0) 20 7 6 2 9 2 4 4 4 FAX: +44 (0) 20 7 4 9 9 2 6 7 0

M A L L E T T IN N E W Y O R K MALLETT INC 929 M A D I S O N AVENUE N E W YORK

T E L E P H O N E : +1 2 1 2 FAX: +1 2 1 2 2 4 9

249 8 7 8 3

8784

Website: www.mallettantiques.com E-mail: info@mallettantiques.com

Front cover: Detail from a an important gilt gesso bureau cabinet (see pages 6-13) Frontispiece: Detail from an exceptional mid 19th century Florentine pietra dura table top. (see pages 44-45).

Right: A pair of blue glass mid 18th century vases and covers having bands of white enamel at the finial, the top of the vase and around the foot, the white ovoid bodies supported on a shaped bell foot and surmounted by stylised pagoda covers.

Swedish, circa 1760 Height: 15 in / 38 cm

MALLETT ON MADISON T h e United States o f America and the United

In these nervous times o f international crisis and

Kingdom, (despite one distinct period o f political

financial

evolution!) have always enjoyed a very special

that money is allocated to things o f real and

uncertainty it seems entirely sensible

relationship. T h i s is rooted in a shared history,

lasting value. It has always been our policy at

and in cultural and ideological sentiments. T h e

Mallett's to offer great furniture and other items

two nations greatly value the bonds that tie us in

that are undisputed in quality and will hopefully

so many ways. For this reason Mallett's are hugely

remain for always part o f our mutual cultural

excited that they are to be welcomed to the heart

achievement as well as being a joy for ever. W e

o f New York when we open our business on

hope you will c o m e and view these at all o f our

Madison Avenue this Spring. Both countries have

three shops.

shared a passion for fine art and artefacts from Europe and the East for over two hundred years and it therefore seems most appropriate that our company should now have a major presence in the United States. T h e business will display a

P

rotating proportion o f the best stock from our two London shops. W e are very much looking forward to welcoming as many people as can pay us a visit at 9 2 9 Madison Avenue (close to

Lanto Synge

7 4 t h Street).

Chief Executive

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There developed a considerable market for

A highly important George 1 bureau bookcase

Portuguese coat of arms and when it was offered as

of great grandeur, attributed to the

a birthday gift the coat of arms was substittUed

London made furniture, commissioned by

partnership o f James Moore and John Gumley,

with the initials G.L. (Geraz do Lima) j^ith a

aristocratic patrons in the Iberian peninsular.

decorated throughout the exterior with carved

crown of the Count.'

The furniture made for the continental market tended to reflect the foreign taste for more

and gilded gesso incorporating strapwork with scrolling foliage and floral detail; the upper

Further details of the progression of this

extravagant shapes and richer embellishment.

part with ogee arched pediment with large

provenance to 1962 are available.

For example, a classic English form might either

carved central shell above arched doors with

have been given a more curvaceous outline with

bevelled glass plates, opening to reveal a fitted

LITERATURE:

perhaps additional carvings or mounts, or be

interior containing shelves and an

C f R W Symonds:

lavishly decorated with lacquer or with a greater

arrangement of small drawers and pigeon

A Royal Scrutoire, Connoisseur June 1940

use of gilding.

holes around a central cupboard, all veneered

The Craft of the Carver and Gilder, Antiques

with burr yew wood with box wood stringing,

Review, 1950

the inside of the doors panelled with borders

The Origin of Gesso Furniture, Country Life

decoration of furniture can be traced back as far

o f burr yew and cross-banded with padouk

12 June 1958

as the ancient Egyptians. It was practised also in

wood, the sides o f the cabinet also inset with

Lanto Synge, Great English Furniture, 1991, p52

Greece and Rome and the earliest evidence of its

J

The use of gilding upon a gesso ground for the

bevelled mirror plates; the lower part with

use in England is during the 13th century,

sloping fall front enclosing a bureau interior

The origin of this glorious piece of early 18th

also fitted with small drawers flanking a

century furniture is due largely to a unique

However, it was at the very end of the 17th

central cupboard and similarly veneered in

agreement between two ancient allies, both great

century and in the early 18th century that what

increasing greatly by the Tudor period.

burr yew, the flap cross-banded with padouk

trading nations, England and Portugal. In 1662,

we know today as gesso furniture was at the

and with engraved brass lock plate finely

King Charles II of Erfgland married Catherine

height of fashion.

engraved with a winged genius amid foliate

of Braganza, daughter of the Duke of Braganza

scrolls and blowing a horn; the base

who became King John iV of Portugal. In 1703,

In several respects this emulated solid gold

containing two short and two long drawers,

the Methuen Treaty was struck between the two

objects and silver furniture made for Louis XIV

each tier with a different configuration of

countries, sealing an even closer relationship.

for Versailles and for a few other great patrons,

carved gesso work, having brass drop-ring

Under the terms of the Treaty, Portugal could

while the strapwork ornamentation is clearly related to the silversmiths' art of the 16th and

handles on the drawer fronts and large brass

sell their wines to England at a lower rate of

carrying handles at the sides; all raised on

duty than those of France and Germany. In

17th centuries. Highly skilled technique enabled

massive lion's claw feet.

return, there were sirrlilar terms whereby

the carver and gilder to create patterns not only

furniture makers in E r t ^ n d could export their

on elements in high relief and on mouldings but

English, circa 1720

wares to Portugal.

also on the more expansive flat surfaces of table

Carved shell and feet replaced

tops, cabinets and chests. Many coats of size and

Height: 94V4 in / 240.5 cm

whiting were applied to the wooden carcass and

Width: 4 4 in / 112 cm

carved in shallow relief The patterns carved in

Depth: l y U in / 60 cm

• f ^ m i O A HISTORICA DESTASECRETARIAV^ a/laJiac/ifdo-^

PROVKNANCE:

brilliance upon a matt ground that was textured and punched with a tooling implement. The

An engraved brass plaque attached to the interior of the cabinet translates from Portuguese as follows: 'According to the tradition of my family, this beautiful eighteenth century gilded lady's bureau bookcase, of English origin, considered to be unique, belonged to Her Royal Highness DoHa Carlota Joaquina,

wife ofDom Jodo VI, King of

Portugal It was later offered by Queen Maria II of Portugal, to her lady-in-waiting

the 1st Duchess of

Ficalho {Doha Eugenia of Almeida),

and

subsequently offered as a birthday present by the

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2nd Marques of Ficalho and his wife, to my great grandmother

the Countess ofGeraz,

Lima

and

Folgosa (Dona Julia Sofia de Almeida Brandao e Sousa), today belonging to his grandson the 3rd Count of Folgosa (the title created by His Highness Dom Luis I, by decree on 5th December

1885)

Antonio Feodorico Ponte Horta Cavazzo do Rego Barreto da Fonseca Magalhdes da Costa e Silva (son of the 1st Count

ofAlmarjdo).

Portugal, Carcavelos March

1962

result was a quality of detail that no wood carving could emulate.

I he patterns employed were promoted particularly in France by the designer Jean Berain during the reign of Louis XIV. There is little doubt that in F^ngland the new style was largely popularised by the many Huguenot emigres from France, notably the designer and architect Daniel Marot, who brought with them not only their manifold skills but also the latest

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French designs. Similar patterns of strapwork combined with floral and foliate motifs may be seen adapted to boulle work and to verre eglomise of the same period. Although not strictly classical, the origin of such designs lay in antiquity and had evolved over generations of artists drawing upon the ancient world for inspiration. I hus it had by this time become an interpretation of art of a bygone age rather than just simply imitation.

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There is a small golden royal crown, hidden in one of the drawers of this bureau bookcase,

which

belonged to the piece, when it was in possession of (^ueen Carlota Joaquina,

the gesso were a harmony of geometry and arabesques that could stand out in burnished

on top of which was a

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mtmdada Most renowned among the proponents of this speciality in l^ngland are the names of James Moore and his partner John Gumley,

It was not an English habit to have a pair of bureau bookcases. Indeed, no such pairs are recorded as having been made for the home market, where it was more usual to commission a single important piece as a focal point in an interior. However, it was a known practice on the continent and certain pairs were made for the European market. It is one such pair, of immense grandeur and decorated in the gilt gesso, that is highly significant to the history of the present piece. This pair, sadly no longer in existence, was made for King John V of Portugal by an English maker in about 1720, the same approximate date as the present piece.

One of this pair is illustrated and discussed in some detail in no less than four published articles by the highly regarded English furniture historian of the mid 20th century, R W Symonds. This piece, having apparently been 'discovered' in Portugal, then emerged in the London trade but was destroyed in the bombing of London in World War II at the premises of Frank Partridge & Son. R W Symonds wrote in 1956: 'Its loss is to be deplored because it was one of the most outstanding examples of the craft of the English gesso worker'. Its pair had been destroyed earlier, either in the Lisbon earthquake of 1755, which ruined John V's Ajuda Palace and much of its collection, or, possibly having survived that catastrophe, when the replacement palace, built of wood, burned down in 1795.

('Cabinet-maker and Glass-seller to the Crown', 1716-1727). Both men were among the leading London furniture makers of the day and the Gumley family had already established a looking-glass factory in Lambeth in 1704. The partnership was extremely prosperous and was engaged in supplying furnishings to many prestigious houses, including Burlington House and Blenheim Palace, but above all it is known for its Royal commissions. Many lesser examples of gesso furniture tend to be associated with Moore and Gumley or loosely attributed to them. However, only a handful can be directly ascribcd to them. The group of furniture by Moore in the collection of H M The Queen consists of two magnificent pairs of tables and two pairs of torcheres, all bearing the cypher of George 1. Also in the Royal Collection, at Hampton Court Palace, is a large pier glass with mirrored borders by Gumley. As with the vast majority of English furniture, little

documentation exists to establish a maker or provenance. However, a cabinet of such stature and grandeur as this is highly likely to have been made by these two celebrated masters of their joint trades. Furthermore, the use of gilt gesso ornamentation on such a scale, together with the extravagant use of expensive mirror plates, not only on the doors at the front but also on the sides, would denote only a most important commission, and probably one from overseas.

This great example of the art of the carver and gilder is not entirely alone. It is one of a pair, long ago separated from its companion picce.

That companion came on to the market in 1977 and was sold by Malletts into a private collection where it remains today. The configuration of the carvcd gesso ornament is cxactly the same throughout in both instances.

Likewise, the fitted burr yew interiors are the same, and both have mirrored sides.

This royal escritorio (or armario papeleim) shows every sign of coming from the same workshop as the present piece. It was decorated in gilt gesso of the highest quality in a similar manner, the configuration on the upper three drawers of the base being virtually identical. Strong comparisons can also be made with the fitted interiors with their burr yew veneers, box stringing and central cupboards with arched outline. There are also the mirrors at the front as well as at the sides. In this instance the pediments were of a flattened 'double-dome' style and exuberant foliate .scrolls were applied to the corners and feet, joined by a shaped apron with central mask, all adding to their overall opulence and clearly created to suit not merely continental but also grand, royal taste.

John V, who ruled from 1706 to 1750, at a period of reasonable peace and prosperity, was a man ot culture, a lover of music and theatre and a patron of the arts. 1 le was also a great builder, his achievements including the patriarchal church of Li.sbon, the convent at Maira and the great aqueduct of Lisbon. He was also, however, a man of highly extravagant tastes, who

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A GOLDEN CABINET

continued

provenance, the bureau bookcase was part of the

cabinet-makers, carvers and gilders and japanners

furnishing of the Queluz Palace, originally used

during the 18th century. It is possible, therefore,

as the summer seat of the Royal family and now

that another writing cabinet of equal quality may

a national monument. Frequently described as

still yet come to light from the Iberian Peninsular.'

the Portuguese equivalent of Versailles, Queluz

R W Symonds, English Gesso Furniture,

was built by the Pedro II in the late 17th

The Antique Collector, August 1956

century. In the mid 18th century it was greatly developed by King Pedro 111, following his marriage to the future Queen, Dona Maria I, to include opulent and luxurious interiors and gardens in the baroque manner, with fountains, statues and recreational areas, much of which

^^^^^^^

was designed by the French architect, Robillon.

However, despite the mid-European influence, the overall spirit of Queluz still remains thoroughly Portuguese.

Dofia Carlota Joaquina was the daughter of King Charles IV of Spain and Queen Maria Luisa of Parma. At the age of only ten she came to Portugal to be married to Prince John, the future John Vl. T h e union was not a happy one and Queen Carlota never 'assimilated to her adopted country'. She must have been quite a formidable C^ahinct m a d e for J o h n V of Portugal, i'-ountry P'ti ture

character and clearly had ambition. O n the Life

Libmry

declaration of the insanity of the Queen, Dofia Maria I in 1792, Prince John becarne Prince

modelled his court and manner of government

Regent. In 1806 Queen Carlota tried'to have her

upon that of ['rancc at Versailles. Much of the

own husband declared insane, in an attempt to

lucrative revenue from the gold mines in

gain the throne for herself As it was, he

Portugal's territories in Brazil and from her

remained Prince Regent until finally the old

foreign trade was expended upon luxury and

(!Jueen died in 1816 and they a.ssumed the throne together. In the meantime, and following the French invasion of Portugal at the beginning

There are records remaining of furniture ordered

of the 19th century, the Royal court had moved

from England for the Portuguese market and

to Brazil, Queen Carlota hated her time there

much of the furniture for John V's palace,

and the animosity between her and the King

including certain immensely grand items, is

grew further, to the degree that, on their

believed to have been commissioned from

eventual return to Portugal, after the revolution

London makers, to the extent that some

of 1820 in Brazil, they parted. He went to the

instances were reported in contemporary

monastery at Mafra and she retired to the

newspapers, such as 'Iron Rails, Gates and other

Queluz palace, where she had actually spent

Ornaments, for a palace and monastery' and a

most of her life as Queen and where she lived in

curious Silver Vessel for bathing in' made of

the company of a small coterie of favoured

solid silver! Furthermore, a model of the Crown

friends until her death in 1830.

of Kngland was sent to Lisbon as a pattern for the setting of the gemstoncs in the Crown of

In conclusion, this remarkable piece of cabinet

Portugal. It is not unreasonable to assume that

furniture remains as a rare and important

the pair of gesso cabinets made for John V, given

survival from an era of some of the most

his high aspirations and their high quality, were

glamourous examples of English furniture of the

commissioned from the English Royal cabinet-

1 8th century. With its Portuguese Royal

makers, James Moore and John Cumley.

connections and credible attribution to the most prominent contemporary English Royal cabinet-

The present bureau bookcase has come only

makers, it represents an example of the highest

recently from Portugal. Its believed provenance,

decorative excellence within a unique history of

according to a plaque attached to its interior,

diplomatic and cultural collaboration.

dates back to Her Royal Highness Queen Carlota Joaquina, wife of King John VI of

'English gesso, like English japan, was much

Portugal. The plaque traccs its history to the last

admired hy the Spanish and Portuguese and a

known owner in the I'XiO's. (liven this

considerable export trade was carried on hy I'.nglish

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QUEEN ELIZABETH I

The Kitchener portrait of Queen Elizabeth I

her writings, speeches, highly stage-managed appearances and her dress, she closely controlled

- When anyone speaks of her beauty she says that she never was beautifal although she had that

English School, circa 1580

her image. Her self-promotion is nowhere more

reputation thirty years ago. Nevertheless, she speaks

Oil on panel

evident than in the portraits of her and Elizabeth

of her beauty as often as she can.

Unframed: 33 x 27H, in / 84 x 69 cm

I had more portraits painted of herself than any

- Monsieur de Maisse, 1597

Framed: 40 x 33'/2 in / 102 x 85 cm

of the Tudors. Vanity certainly seems to have been part of it, as Horace Walpole commented

PROVENANCE:

in 1762:

As well as promoting herself as the 'Virgin Queen' Elizabeth understood that her femininity was useful for manipulating men for her political

Collection of the 3rd Earl Kitchener; sold Christie's, London, 31 October 1952, lot

-There is no evidence that Elizabeth had much

advantage and that her image could be very

52 for 50 gns;

taste for painting; but she loved pictures of herself.

powerful indeed. Her policing and concern over

Private collection, USA until February 2002

More significant however was her use of the

order in 1596 to destroy all portraits of her

pictures as propaganda. Official portraits or

which were to her 'great offence'. Sir Walter

LITERATURE:

pattern images were completed and approved

Raleigh in The History of the World oi 1587

Sir Roy Strong, Portraits of Elizabeth I, p64, ill

and then exhibited or lent so other painters

describes the works of 'common Painters' being

no 41, Oxford University Press 1963

might copy them. 16th century portrait painters

thrown in the fire. As a result we are left with a

For the face I grant I might well blush to offer, but

were well-versed in the use of imagery and

smaller number of iconic portraits; interesting

the mind I shall never be ashamed to present.

allegory. They collaborated with the Queen and

because of their fine quality and because they

her image was reflected in the Privy Council's

- The Lady Elizabeth to her brother, Edward

projected an image embodying power, piety,

survived the Queen's rigorous editing. We are

VI, in response to his request for her portrait,

justice, benevolence, beauty and virtue to keep

presented with images of the Queen fashioned in

circa 1550-3.

her subjects loyal. Other well-known portraits

the way she wished to be presented and make

painted around this time were the 'Armada

her unmistakable:

In his book. Portraits of Elizabeth I, Sir Roy

Portrait', circa 1588, in the collection at Woburn

Strong identifies this painting as one of the two

Abbey; the 'Ermine Portrait', of 1585; and the

- A pale Roman nose, a head of hair loaded with

'Kitchener' portraits, both painted around 1580.

'Rainbow Portrait', circa 1600, the latter two

crowns and powdered with diamonds, a vast r u f f , a

Although the two paintings are reportedly

both in the collection at Hatfield House.

vaster fardingdale, and a bushel of pearls, are the

almost identical it is only this one that is

We know little about the sittings for the

features by which everybody knows at once the

illustrated in Strong's book. Furthermore, of the

portraits with only one account existing — that of

pictures of Elizabeth I

two, this one is the 'true' Kitchener whose

Hilliard. T h e Queen was particularly keen on his

- Horace Walpole

provenance has given the portraits their name,

miniatures and gave them as presents and

so called because it was once in the prized

rewards to loyal courtiers. Portraits of the Queen

The Queen was particularly proud of her hands

collection of the Kitchener family; in the home

were often listed in the inventories of important

and contemporary accounts describe her making

of the 3rd Earl Kitchener, Henry Herbert

English families and were also given as

much of taking her gloves off and often, like

Kitchener.

diplomatic gifts abroad.

here, she is posed in portraits with her hands gesturing or resting in front of her chest.

24 March 2003 will mark the 400th anniversary

A contemporary commentator, Paul Heutzner, in

of the death of the 'Virgin Queen'. The reign of

1598 suggests this portrait is somewhat true to

Elizabeth I was a Golden Age for England - the

life:

Queen making it the leading nation in culture, commerce and naval supremacy. A true

There was considerable attention given to the clothes and jewels Elizabeth wore in portraits.

T h e Queen's favourite colours were black and

...herface oblong, fair but wrinkled; her eyes

white - these also being 'her colours' worn by

Renaissance woman, during her forty-five year

small yet black and pleasant; her nose a little

long rule between 1558 and 1603 she was

hooked, her lips narrow... her hair... an auburn

middle age she is depicted as she is here: in black

involved in every aspect of the country from

colour, but false...

with pearls draped across her bodice and a

politics, finance, religion, global exploration, to

her knights. In many of the portraits of her in

diaphanous veil pulled around her.

literature and the arts. In many ways she can be

As Elizabeth aged her painters had the problem

seen as very much a modern figure.

of maintaining the public's (and perhaps the

how well her black and white clothes

Queen's) idealised image of the Queen whilst

complemented her red-gold hair. An inventory

dealing with the reality:

of the Queen's extensive wardrobe compiled in

Adept at manipulating the media of her day with

14

Contemporary commentators commented on

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1600 lists dozens of white satten robes and

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'blacke vellat cloakes' like the dress in the 'Kitchener' portrait. Her jewellery collection was vast and portraits often depict her covered in chains, pendants, pearls, rings, brooches and bracelets. She is often seen wearing enormous rubies and the famous black pearls which had belonged to Mary Queen of Scots whose colour was described as being 'like that of muscat grapes'. Whilst it is not rare for members of the , Royal family to be painted wearing jewellery "f rancis Bjicon suggested that there was another reason'St play:

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'a . ...she imagined that the people, who are much influenced by externals, would be diverted by the glitter of her'jewels, from noticing the decay of her personal attractions.

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Few monarchs havSinspired the artists of their time as Elizabeth I did. Painters, poets, writers K.

and playwrights alike recorded, invented and

'

enhanced the image of A e i r Queen to leave us with the powerfiil and intriguing picture we have today.

T h e anniversary of Elizabeth I's death is being commemorated at an exhibition at T h e Huntington Library in Pasadena, California -

Gloriana! The Golden Legend of Elizabeth I between 20 December, 2 0 0 2 and 15 June, 2003.

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18

A QUEEN ANNE GREEN LACQUER KNEEHOLE DESK

A very rare Queen Anne green lacquer kneehole

considered of inferior quality, Chinese lacquer

desk, having one long drawer above three short

soon dominated the market.

drawers at either side, with a cupboard and small

and designs, were formulated and patented: in England by Stalker & Parker in 1688 and in Paris by the Martin brothers — hence the

drawer in the kneehole recess; the desk richly

Lacquer could not be made in Europe for the

term vernis Martin - in the 1740's

japanned throughout with gold chinoiseries on a

simple reason that the lacquer tree never grew

and 1750's.

blue-green ground, the top depicting a royal

there. It had, therefore, to be imitated. In the

procession of elephants carrying figures in

west, this imitation is called japanning, and is

In England the most popular colour for the

howdahs towards a pavilion with a seated prince,

made from a deposit left by an insect, coccus

background was red and good quantities of this

the visiting prince and dignitaries bowing in

laca, on tree branches.

obeisance before him, with a gilt rosette at each corner on a hatchwork ground, the front of the cupboard depicting a warrior seated on horseback; the desk retaining its original brass mounts and raised on bracket feet with 'cracked ice' decoration.

furniture were made. Green was also popular but, today, is much scarcer. These colours were

The first European imitations of oriental

fashionable in the first period of japanning in

lacquers originated in Venice during the late

England until the early 1730's and then again in

16th century. In England, the earliest recorded

the 1760's and 1770's. Thomas Chippendale, for

example is the 1616 ballot box of the Sadlers'

example, used green for the celebrated Chinese

Company. By the end of the 17th century

bedroom at Nostell Priory in the 1770's.

japanning was well established throughout English, area 1710

Europe and by 1700 in several towns in

The present green japanned desk is a superb

Height: 32Vi in / 83 cm

America.

example from the early 18th century, of a purely

Width: 3OV4 in / 78 cm

English shape.

Depth: 19 in / 48 cm

Chinese and Japanese lacquers were usually

Lacquer ware was first imported to Europe by

background was limiting, and coloured

black and gold. To European taste the black the Portuguese from Japan at the end of the

backgrounds became much sought after and

16th century and was highly prized; an

experimented with. In Germany, white grounds

unknown medium and greatly admired for

were a speciality of Gerard Dagly,

its beauty. Towards the end of the 17th century,

red of Martin Schnell, while blue was later

Chinese lacquer, in imitation of Japanese work,

to be used in Dresden. Recipes for different

began to be imported to Europe. Despite being

coloured backgrounds, together with patterns

19

20

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A GEORGE II ARMCHAIR W I T H PERIOD N E E D L E W O R K

A G E O R G E I WALNUT K N E E H O L E DESK

An extremely fine mid 18th century carved

An exceptional early 18th century kneehole desk

mahogany armchair, the upholstered curving

of unusually large scale in highly figured burr

arm-rests leading to carved scroll supports,

walnut of very fine colour, the crossbanded and

standing on cabriole legs boldly carved at the

quarter-veneered top with moulded edge above

front with acanthus and scrolls at the knees and

one long drawer with three small drawers at

ending in claw and ball feet, and at the back

either side, the kneehole recess with a shallow

with an acanthus scroll and ending in diamond

drawer and cupboard unit with a shelf, all

shaped toes, the padded back, the serpentine

drawers with moulded edges and original brass

seat and the arm-rests all covered in period floral

handles and lock escutcheons, standing on

needlework in remarkable condition, depicting

bracket feet.

stylised garden flowers in reds and golds and foliage on a off-white ground.

English, circa 1720

English, circa 1745

Width: 4274 in / 107.5 cm

Height: 3974 in / 101 cm

Depth: 2372 in / 59.5 cm

Height: 3074 in / 78 cm

Width: 28 in / 71 cm Depth of seat: 22 in / 56 cm

21

A PAIR OF GEORGE II WALNUT STOOLS WITH PERIOD NEEDLEWORK

A magnificent pair of early 18th century walnut

later 19th century additions. Thomas Vaughan

the 18th century found an oval table contributed

stools of large proportions on cabriole legs,

of Burlton was born in 1720. He married

to a spirit of conviviality'. (J Fowler, and J

finely carved with acanthus decoration on the

Elizabeth Chambre in 1759 and their son,

Cornforth, English Decoration in the 18th

knees and terminating in claw and ball feet, the

another Thomas Vaughan was born in 1766.

Century, p66) Although this pair of stools is later

seats upholstered in superb period needlework

This Thomas Vaughan married Lowry Nanney.

in date, this social hierarchy and formality

worked in wools and silk, the central panels

He was an officer in the army and was lost on

continued well into the 18th century.

with an arrangement of brilliant coloured

his passage home in 1804 in the East Indiaman

flowers worked in petit point on an ivory

The Prince of Wales. Their son was Robert

ground within a border of gros point with

Chambre Vaughan who was born in 1796 and

stylised flowers on a light blue ground.

married Anna Massey. O n e of their sons was Edward Goldisborough Chambre Vaughan (b.

The stools English, circa 1730

1832) who documented this needlework.

The needlework English, circa 1750 Height: 20 in / 51 cm

T h e needlework is in extraordinary, original

Width: 22 in / 56 cm

condition with colours of exceptional brilliance,

Depth: 17 in / 43 cm

having never before been used as a covering. It was obviously greatly valued and preserved for

PROVENANCE:

years by the Vaughan family.

The needlework was made by Elizabeth Chambre Vaughan, Burlton Hall, Shropshire.

The construction of this pair of large stools is

By descent and documented by her great

sufficiently robust to be able to dispense with

grandson Edward Goldisborough Chambre

stretchers, rendering the design simpler, with

Vaughan (b. 1832).

Label on underside of stool

more focus on the deep and crisp carving. Their distinctive profile with deeply defined claw and

LITERATURE:

ball feet and gently squared, tapering cabriole

L Synge, Mallett Millennium, 1999, p 234, fig 301

legs is similar to a walnut stool covered with

L Synge, Art of Embroidery, 2001 p 246, fig 243

period needlework that is illustrated in RW Symond's English Furniture from Charles II to

A hand written description is on a label under

George II, p 160.

the seat of one stool giving the provenance of the needlework as being from Burlton Hall in

Commissions for seat furniture in the 18th

Shropshire: Two Chair seat covers / worked by the

century tended to comprise sets of stools, side

Great / Grandmother of the / Lender 1750. /

chairs and arm chairs. The great expense of

E:G:C: Vcughan / Burlton Hall T h e other stool

manufacture and upholstery meant that all but

bears a fragmentary label reading ...Prince of

the most important guests sat on stools. This

Wales..., each stamped DS.

practice was not only confined to saloon or drawing room: 'When the Grand Duke Cosimo

The Vaughan family lived at Burlton Hall for

dined at Althorp and Wilton on his visit to

several hundred years. Large parts of the original

England in 1669, he made a great play with not

17th century building still exist together with

sitting in an armchair but on a stool, and he in

23

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A PAIR OF GEORGE II GILTWOOD PIER GLASSES continued A magnificent pair of George II carved giltwood pier glasses in the Kentian nnanner, following a design by William Jones, the architectural pediment with foliate carved cornice and raised on acanthus scrolls, with large central pierced shell supported on trailing flowers and foliage, the rectangular bevelled plate with egg-and-dart and bead-and-reel outer border and ribbon pattern inner border, with a rosette at each corner, the raised and carved elements on a pounced and gilded ground throughout.

achieved a popularity that survived from 1730 until about 1750 when designs began to get corrupted by overlaid rococo decoration.

English, circa 1740 Height: 74'/^ in / 190 cm Width: 38 in / 96.5 cm By 1730 there came a reintroduction of the 17th century correctness of Inigo Jones and the rules of Andrea Palladio. The lead in this came from Richard Boyle, the Earl of Burlington, and his protege William Kent. Kent was the first man in England to combine the roles of architect and interior decorator. He did not limit his work and influence only to the exteriors of mansions, but also designed the rooms inside. The early 18th century was an age in which architecture was taken very seriously and studied closely, and this preoccupation with the exterior of houses was reflected within the home. Many features normally seen on the exterior were adapted for the inside. For example, entrance doorways.

window frames and mirror frames were often flanked by columns and surmounted by s.^ triangular pediments, the latter often broken with a mask, cartouche, or shell motif in the centre. This architectural type of mirror frame

Kent had many followers, one of which was William Jones, the architect of the Rotunda in Ranelagh Gardens, London, which was opened in 1742. In 1752 he was appointed surveyor to the East India Company. In 1736 his Designs for Frontispieces were appended to James Smiths Specimens of Ancient Carpentry, and were republished in 1739 as a separate book entitled The Gentleman or Builder's Companion, containing Variety of useful Designs for Doors, Gateways, Peers, Pavilions, Temples, ChimneyPieces &c... . His address was given as 'near the Chapel in King Street, Golden Square.' The Companion included designs for chimney-pieces, pier tables and mirror frames, largely in Palladian style. Simon Jervis classified them as 'the earliest published group of ftirniture designs by an English designer'. Published in William Jones's The Gentleman or Builder's Companion... is a design for a mirror frame on which this pair of mirrors is clearly based. His design differs in having a female mask at the centre of the pediment instead of a stylised pierced shell, however the basic architectural design is identical.

Drawing by William Jones,

circa 1739

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A MUSICAL A U T O M A T O N C L O C K BY RIMBAULT

continued

An 18th century musical bracket clock of large scale in an ebony case with ormolu mounts, fretwork sides with side handles and pineapple finials, each corner with mounts of female caryatids, each hung with a shell and garlands of flowers; the dial within ormolu spandrels below a painted scene of artisans in a sculpture studio, the two subsidiary dials indicating the six tunes and the strike/silent mechanism; the reverse with glass back revealing the musical workings playing on 13 bells and brass backplate richly engraved and inscribed Stepn. Rimbault,

London.

English, circa 1760

Overall height: I V U in / 60.5 cm Width: 13'/2 in / 34.5 cm Depth: 9V4 in / 25 cm The Rimbault family, of Huguenot descent, were established as clockmakers in London for the most part of the 18th century.

Stephen Rimbault is recorded at Great St Andrew's Street from 1760 to 1781. He excelled at making rather complicated clocks, often wiA musical movements, and particularly automaton clocks with painted scenes of figures dancing or working on the dials.

In 1758 the artist John Zofifany arrived in England in abject poverty. He was introduced to Rimbault by an Italian music box maker called Bellodi, whom Rimbault employed to prick the barrels of his musical clocks. In no time Zoffany was working in Rimbault's workshop, painting the figures and landscapes on his automata.

Rimbault introduced Zoffany to the portrait painter Benjamin Wilson, who gave him further employment and the young artist's career thereafter progressed apace. Zoffany painted his 1764 portrait of Rimbault in gratitude. This portrait now hangs in Tate Britain.

Stephen Rimbaulthy

Zoffany, by kind permission of Tate Britain

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A WALNUT BUREAU ON STAND

A rare 18th century bureau on stand executed in walnut, the fall front enclosing a fitted interior with an arrangement of pigeon holes and small drawers faced with burr yew wood and lined with walnut, raised on a carved walnut base with cabriole legs and scroll toes.

English, circa 1770 Height: 38 in / 96 cm Width: 29 in / 74 cm Depth: 17 in / 43 cm

A SHEPHERD'S CROOK ARMCHAIR A Queen Anne walnut armchair, the elegantly shaped and dished arm-rests with shepherd's crook supports, the padded back an^ seat upholstered in gold silk velvet, raised on cabriole legs with shell carving at the front, ending in pad feet.

English, circa 1715 Height: 36 in / 91.5 cm Width: 2474 i n / 6 1 . 5 c m Depth of seat: I8V4 in / 47 cm

31

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CHARLES COLLINS (1660-1744) AND STUDIO Three Spaniels in a formal

Garden

Oil on canvas Painted circa 1730 Unframed: 80 x 109 in / 203 x 111 cm Framed: 87 x 1 W k in / 221 x 296 cm

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Charles Collins was baptised on 8 February 1660, and was educated at Winchester where he was a chorister. He matriculated from New College Oxford in March 1696 as a puer pauper serviens. He seems to have divided his life between his native county, Sussex, and London, where he maintained a studio.

He worked for some time in Ireland, and is thus perhaps the earliest still life and animal painter of any significance working there. It seems he resided in Dublin sufficiently long for him to have been considered Irish, since in May 1786, the Dublin Evening Post v/is advertising the sale of two paintings: Most admirably executed, one of live fowl the other a dead hare etc., by the Irish Master, Collins from the collection of Sir Gustavus Hume, Bart.

There is a Dead Game in the National Gallery of Ireland. Collins' teacher in art is unknown, but the sophistication of his technique, and the subject matter he often chose, would tend to suggest a Dutch painter in the circle of Jan Weenix. He is as sophisticated an animal and still life painter as is to be found in British painting at this period, with a remarkable capacity for draughtsmanship.

Collins' demise is recorded in the parish registers of the sub-deanery of Chichester, where he was buried on 3 December 1744. He bequeathed paintings, drawings of Winchester College, a collection of Church Music, as well as his freehold estate, to his nephew, the poet William Collins.

The attribution of this painting to Charles Collins (it would be his largest known work) is strongly supported by the sketch of a spaniel which is one of the few, rare paintings signed by him. This painting depicts a Springer spaniel in exactly the same pose as the dog on the left hand side of the present painting. The similarity of pose and technique could hardly be closer and the small picture may well be a sketch for part of the larger. The present painting, whilst retaining his usual high tonality, is rather more loosely painted than his usual style, reflecting the vast size and essentially decorative nature of the composition.

33

A CHIPPENDALE PERIOD MAHOGANY TRIPOD TABLE ir-

A Chippendale period mahogany tripod table of the highest quality, the circular tilt top of excellent colour and with moulded piecrust edge, on bird cage support, raised on a fluted and acanthus carved baluster stem with punched ground above a band of egg and dart moulding, on boldly curved tripod supports with shell and harebell carving on the knees and inner scroll with paterae, ending in claw and ball feet.

English, circa 1760 Height: 26 in / 66 cm Diameter: 28 in / 71 cm

34

35

A PAIR O F G O T H I C REVIVAL ARMCHAIRS overleaf

A pair of Chippendale period oak armchairs in the le Gothic taste, the elaborate backs in the form of lancet windows with pierced quatrefoils, flanked by twisting, imbricated ornament, the serpentine top rails carved with a foliate cresting finished with finials, the stiles and scrolled arms finished with carved blind fret, the front rails and square legs similarly finished with fretwork and stylised lambrequin ornament.

English, circa 1755 Height: 4372 in / 110.5 cm Width: 27 in / 68.5 cm Depth of seat: 22 in / 56 cm

villa in Twickenham, begun in the late 1740's.

Walpole intended to rival Lord Burlington's classical villa at Chiswick, creating a style of living solely influenced by the Gothic. The detailing found in the interiors at Strawberry Hill is very close in conception to the medieval.

Fireplace designs were copied from engravings after medieval tombs and screens. In the same way, items of furniture for some of the interiors were designed by Walpole to compliment these settings, for example a set of ebonised side chairs in the Gothic taste completed in 1755.

This correctness helped to fan the interest in the fashionable Gothic. Large numbers of visitors PROVENANCE: came to see what Walpole had achieved at Formedy in the collection of Mrs Nancy Strawberry Hill. Thomas Chippendale included Lancaster, Haseley Court, Oxfordshire, until Gothic designs in his publications of 1754 and 1972. Acquired direcdy from Nancy Lancaster by 1760-1762. A 'gothic temple' was built in Kew David and Evangeline Bruce for Staunton Hill, gardens, alongside an 'alhambra', a 'mosque', a Virginia, and by descent. 'chinese pagoda' and numerous classical temples.

These magnificent armchairs are a fine example Ln'ERATURE: of 'the whimsical air of novelty' that the gothic Chester Jones, Colrfax & Fowler, the Best in English style lent to furniture during the mid 18th Interior Decoration, 1989 century. Later on, it was revived once more in Lanto Synge, Chairs in Colour, 1978, p55 the picturesque villa architecture of John Nash.

However, fifty years later, a more intense and Interest in the Gothic style was revived by the honest Gothic reappeared, popularised by the publication in the mid 18th century in England of architectural designs of Augustus Pugin. numerous pattern books of designs for all manner of fiirniture. Notable are Batty Langley's The City These chairs were previously owned by the and Country Builder's and Workman's Treasury of doyenne of English interior decoration, the late Desiffis of 1740 and Matthew Daily's A New Book Nancy Lancaster. In Chester Jones' book of the of Chinese, Gothic and Modem Chairs of 1751. history of Colefax & Fowler, he states: 'John The language of medieval Gothic ornament, Fowler's ability as a decorator reached its full dravra fi'om ecclesiastical architecture, had never maturity under the influence of Nancy entirely disappeared, but by the mid 18th century Lancaster, a woman with the most remarkable it was interpreted and applied in a far more lightand assured taste'. heaned manner.

The extremely popular 'modem' or rococo style became its natural panner. The rococo, epitomised by scrolls, twisting stems, ribbons and shells, was often combined with the tastefiil Gothic. The Gothic ornamentation used in these chairs, although not entirely accurate in nature, is representative of medieval window tracery, with quatrefoils and pinnacles as decoration, but treated in an entirely frivolous manner.

A notable exception to this frivolity was Strawberry Hill, Horace Walpole's Thames-side

that time, was already rapidly passing. After the war Sibyl Colefax retired and Nancy, now married to Claude Lancaster, acquited the business.

In 1954 she acquired Haseley Court and it was at this time that her partnership with John Fowler was truly forged. Haseley, an 18th century house which had been subjected to much change over two centuries and in a dire state, presented a challenge to which they both rose, embarking upon a restoration that 'transformed it into a place of such rythmical beauty, wit and comfort that it must stand as a paragon of its kind'. Haseley came to exemplify the Colefax & Fowler style and the joint achievement of two great talents, whose legacy may be seen in so many of our finest houses.

Among the rooms at Haseley was a gothic revival library and a romantic gothic bedroom.

It is in the latter that these chairs are recorded, close to a 'lit a la polonaise', in a room decof^ted with trompe I'oeil cornicing and panelling. Nancy Lancaster lived at Haseley until her death, moving to the Coach House in her latter years.

Nancy was an American from Virginia, with all the right connections. She first came to England in 1915 and, through her aunt. Lady Astor, she was able to move immediately and impressively into the social milieu that surrounded Cliveden, and her eye for beauty and style was noted.

Her marriage later to Ronald Tree brought her to homes first at Kelmarsh Hall in Northamptonshire and then to Ditchley Park in Oxfordshire. Both of these great 18th century houses she restored in a remarkable and •sensitive fashion, reflecting an age which, by

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The Gothic bedroom, Haseley Court

The chairs have since been in the collection of the distinguished Bruce family of Staunton Hill, Virginia, a gothic style house built in 1848, with whom John Fowler had an important and i influential connection.

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A DUTCH POLYCHROME LEATHER SCREEN over/eaf I h

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A magnificent late 18th century eight fold leather screen, the continuous scene with a central pagoda flanked by terraces within imaginary gardens, with groups o f courtly figures amongst deer, exotic birds, butterflies, blossom and flowers, lavishly decorated throughout in polychrome on a richly tooled and textured golden ground, all within a border o f still lifes consisting o f bowls and baskets o f fruits and flowers and, at the sides, Chinese vases filled with bouquets o f flowers; the reverse o f the panels simply decorated with stylised

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flowers and leaves.

Dutch, area 1790 Height o f each panel: 10874 in / 175 cm Width o f each panel: 21V4 in / 55 cm

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A PIETRA DURA TABLE

An exceptional mid 19th century Florentine pietra dura table top having a border of exotic birds and scrolling elements linking baroque cartouches and surrounding at the centre a finely wrought parrot flanked by martial trophies, all executed in a number of exotic marbles together with pewter and mother-of-pearl; the top now supported on two mid 19th century carved giltwood pedestals, each taking the form of eagles back to back, linked by swags held in the beak and having a grotesque mask in the centre.

Italian, circa

1840

Height: 32 in / 81 cm Length: W L in / 202 cm Depth: 39'/2in / 101 cm

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A LOUIS XV B R A C K E T

A PAIR O F S W E D I S H G I R A N D O L E S

A rare Louis X V carved giltwood bracket, the

A pair of early 19th century parcel gilt oval

rectangular top with gadrooned border and

girandoles, each having an elaborate cresting

hung with a large'swag above acanthus leaves

depleting a vase overflowing with vines and

with beaded stem issuing from the base, ending

other fruit, the mirrors decorated with an inner

in a foliate pendant finial.

border of beading and an outer one of finely

French, circa 1755

Height: 15 in / 38 cm

Width: 1 5 in / 38 cm Depth: 7 in / 18 cm

carved laurel leaves, retaining their original mirror plates and two-branch brass candle arms; attributed to Johan Martin Berg.

Swedish, circa 1830

Height: 31 in / 79cm

Width: 18 in / 46cm

LITERATURE:

C f Spelgar, Spegelmakare & Fabrikorer I Sverige 1650-1850, p89

A PAIR O F S T O N E L I O N S

A pair of early 19th century stone lions after the Canova model representing the waking and the sleeping lion, carved in naturalistic manner with fine detail to the mane and fur, each seated on an integral plinth.

English, circa 1820 Height: 22 in / 56 cm Width: 16 i n / 4 1 cm Length: 38 in / 96.5 cm

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WILLIAM SMITH {Circa

overleaf

1790-1850)

A Pack of Hounds in a Landscape Oil on canvas Unframed: 40 x 50 in / 101.5 x 127 cm Framed: 4 8 x 59 in / 122 x 150 cm KXHIBIIHI): Arthur Ackermann: Annual exhibition of sporting paintings 1989, p 3 6 (ilius) William Smith lived and worked in Shropshire, where m a n y of his paintings still reside in old collections. H e sent n u m e r o u s (nearly fifty) paintings to the Royal Academy and British Institution exhibitions between 1813 and 1847, but remarkably few of t h e m can be traced today.

H e seems to have made s o m e t h i n g of a speciality of dog painting; his canine portraits have a charm and immediacy, which, as here, is most appealing.

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A PAIR OF ROCOCO GILTWOOD TORCHERES

A PAIR OF CLASSICAL HORSES

A very fine and rare pair of German mid 18th

A pair of late 17th century bronze models of

century carved gilrwood rococo torcheres, each

pacing horses depicted in the Grecian manner

carved, with slight variations, as an elaborate

with cropped manes, after the horses of

spiral of entwined ' C and 'S' scrolls and foliate

St Mark's in Venice.

ornament, having at the centre a three-sided foliate cartouche with punched ground, standing

Italian, circa

on a tripod of foliate carved cabriole legs.

On modern ebony plinths

1670

Height: 11 in / 28 cm South German, circa

1755

Height: 52 in / 132 cm

Length: 8'A in / 22 cm Depth: 4 in / 10 cm

Width across base: 20'/2 in / 52 cm

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A PAIR OF QUEEN ANNE GILT GESSO C E N T R E TABLES

A rare pair of early 18th small gilt gesso centre tables, carved throughout with strapwork and foliate decoration on a punched ground, the top incorporating flower, berry and acorn motifs and with indented corners, the concave frieze with band of flowerheads, the base with shaped apron, raised on tapering cabriole legs carved on the inner edges and on the diamond feet with stylised acanthus.

English, circa 1710 Height: 29V2 in / 75 cm Width: 29'/4 in 17A cm Depth: 19 i n / 4 8 cm For detail of top see pp56-57

58

A PAIR O F Q U E E N A N N E T O R C H E R E S

A pair of Queen Anne gilt gesso torcheres, each with acanthus carved circular top surmounting a leaf carved boss and supported on a baluster stem with strapwork decoration at the top, a central shell carved collar and octagonal, tapering shaft with foliate decoration, raised on a tripod base with curving supports, acanthus carved knees and pad feet.

English, circa 1710

Height: 40 in / 101.5 cm Diameter of top: 12 in / 30.5 cm

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AN IVORY D R E S S I N G M I R R O R

All outstanding Anglo-Indian Vizagapatam ivory dressing mirror, having four stepped tiers of drawers each with a silver handle, each drawer decorated with a foliate scroll with a neo classical vase at the centre, the oval mirror retaining its original plate and surmounted by a stylised ribbon.

Indian, circa 1800 Height: 37 in / 94 cm Width: 22'/, in / 56.5 cm Diameter: 13 in / 33 cm LITERATURE

Cf Furniture from British India and Ceylon by Amin Jaffer page 207 for an almost identical example now in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

This fine toilet glass closely relates to an example in the Indian collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. T h e unusual form of graduati.ig drawers is taken from the Chinese who manufactured toilet glasses in Canton for the lucrative export market. They produced examples in lacquered wood while their Indian counterparts used ivory that was readily available to them. There is a certain exuberance about the fine engraved floral decoration on the Mallett toilet glass while the piece of at the Victoria & Albert displays a more restrained neo-classical form of decoration. Both toilet glasses have oval panels engraved with monograms. T h e delicate drawing of lotus flowers and interlocking vines is particularly noteworthy and clearly the toilet glass was an important commission for the workshops at Vizagapatam.

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PORTRAITS OF T W O LADIES IN EASTERN DRESS overleaf

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Portrait of a Lady in Eastern Dress, facing right and Portrait of a Lady in Eastern Dress, facing left Probably ladies of the Trevor family (family n a m e of Viscount H a m p d e n ) English School, early 19th century A pair Oil on canvas U n f r a m e d : 2 3 x 18 in / 59 x 4 6 cm Framed: 31 x 2 6 in / 79 x 6 6 cm PROVENANCE:

Viscount H a m p d e n (first creation 1754), St Anne's Hill, Chertsey, Surrey, Great H a m p d e n , Buckinghamshire and B r o m h a m Hall, B r o m h a m , Bedfordshire, until 1924

A PAIR O F RUSSIAN S I D E TABLES

An exceptional pair of early 19th century silver alloy gothic side tables, each frieze fashioned as a series of gothic arches with a trefoil set within each lunette, each arch m o u n t e d with acanthus leaf trefoil elements, the corners enriched with winged dragons above foliate capitals on quatrefoil c o l u m n stems, the base plinths decorated with an elaborate lattice of quatrefoils bordered in lacquered brass, the plinth frieze set with a series of ogee arches having quatrefoils within, the tables retaining their original streaked white marble tops.

Russian, circa 1820 Height: 34 in / 86 cm W i d t h : 52 i n / 1 3 2 cm D e p t h : 18 in / 4 6 cm

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A G E O R G E III O V E R M A N T E L MIRROR

A PAIR OF G E O R G E III OVAL MIRRORS

A George III carved giltwood overmantel mirror

A pair of George III oval neo-classical mirrors,

retaining its original oval plate, the rococo frame

the plates within a fluted frame with beaded

surmounted by an anthemion cresting and

inner edge and gadrooned outer edge,

carved throughout with a pierced framework of

surmounted by a tall urn cresting with flowers

scrolls, stylised acanthus, foliage and flowers.

and wheatears issuing from the top and hung with long swags of husks entwined with leafy

English, circa 1775

scrolls, with similar scrolls at the base centred by

Height: 4 6 in / 117 cm

a large foliate pendant finial.

Width: 43 in / 109 cm English, circa 1775 Height: 48 in / 122 cm Width: 21 in / 53 cm

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AN A D A M C H I M N E Y P I E C E

A neo-classical w h i t e statuary m a r b l e fire s u r r o u n d designed by R o b e r t A d a m , the breakfront f i ^ z e carved w i t h a n t h e m i a a l t e r n a t i n g w i t h flower m o t i f s a n d

an oval

patera at either e n d , the aperture f r a m e w i t h a c a n t h u s carved border flanked by scroll side supports carved w i t h classical ewers above trailing leaves.

E n g l i s h , circa 1770 Overall height: 5 9 V . in / 152 c m Overall w i d t h : 7 8 in / 198 c m D e p t h : 8 in / 2 0 c m H e i g h t o f aperture: A l ' U in / 108 c m W i d t h o f aperture: 4 7 ' / i in / 120 c m

T h i s m a g n i f i c e n t l y executed a n d designed c h i m n e y p i e c e exemplifies R o b e r t Adam's masterful c o m m a n d o f neo-classical decoration that he derived f r o m R o m a n architectural

T h e design, i n c o r p o r a t i n g a stepped cornice above an u n b r o k e n frieze w i t h scrolled v o l u t e j a m b s to be carved f r o m w h i t e marble, was clearly considered by A d a m to be o n e o f his m o s t a d a p t a b l e a n d successful. It is reused by A d a m in various f o r m s in the 1760's a n d

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1770's for projects that n u m b e r e d the ' M u s i c k R o o m ' a n d G a l l e r y at G a r t h r o p (later H a r e w o o d ) H o u s e , Yorkshire in circa 1765 as well for a ' D e s i g n for a G . h i m n e y Piece for the First D r a w i n g R o o m for Lord C h i e f Baron O r d ' dated 1771.

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The success o f the design relies on its elegant simplicity as well as the purity o f the highly expensive white statuary marble it is carved from. The subtle three dimensional effect is created by the contrasting light and shade

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JiLtm

falling on the crisply shallow carved bas-relief, an effect Adam took directly from classical architecture. This particular chimney piece was almost certainly carved by Thomas Carter Jr. ( d . l 7 9 5 ) w h o is known to have executed several o f Adam's designs. Based at Hyde Park Corner Yard, Carter and his uncle Benjamin (d. 1766) had already established themselves as 'the first statuaries o f the Kingdom'. Carter also carved other chimneypieces for Derby House, L o n d o n and Shardeloes, Buckinghamshire.

Interestingly the design o f this chimney piece is almost identical to a now missing example supplied to one o f Adam's greatest patrons, W i l l i a m , 2nd Earl o f Shelburne, later 1st Marquis o f Landsdowne (1737-1805).

Lord

Landsdowne was one o f Adam's most important patrons working for him both at his London house, Shelburne (later Lansdowne) House and afterwards at his country seat Bowood House, Wiltshire.

In 1766 Adam supplied an elaborate coloured drawing for the proposed anteroom in which the chimneypiece is shown. However a separate drawing , dated 1766, shows a more detailed proposal for the chimneypiece which was then executed to this design as shown from photographs o f the early 1920's . The design is identical to the Mallett example in proportion, material and outline, sharing the same frieze and lobed stiles enriched with a distinctive classical ewer against a fluted paterae background. The only difference occurs in the order o f the carved palmettes alternating with the acanthus clasps. A further carved white statuary marble chimney piece o f similar proportions and profile, but with different decoration to the frieze and volutes, was also designed by Adam and carved by Carter for the ' C u b e R o o m ' at Bowood House, Wiltshire in 1764.

Adam's dran'tn^ by courtesy of the Trustees of Sir John Sonne's Museum

T H E A S T R O N O M Y C L O C K BY BENJAMIN VULLIAMY

oi'erleaf

A rare white marble and Derby biscuit porcelain Astronomy clock by Benjamin Vulliamy (1747-1811), the stepped semi-elliptical plinth supporting a central fluted pedestal mounted with a circular enamel dial with Roman numerals within a beaded bezel, on a square plinth signed Design'd by B. Vulliamy

LONDON

1785, flanked on the left by a large figure of a winged genius beside an extremely ornate ormolu mounted stylised tree trunk supporting two small books and a scroll reading Design'd and Executed by B. VULLIAMY Maker to His MAJESTY,

Clock and Watch

with Urania seated on

the right holding an armillary sphere, a large astronomical telescope behind and a small naked child in ftont holding a sextant in his left hand.

English, circa 1785 Height: 19 in / 48 cm Width: 31 in / 79 cm Depth: 11 in / 28 cm T h e Astronomy Clock clearly shows how the style of ornamental clocks produced by the leading London clockmakers, Vulliamy & Son of 74 Pall Mall, developed during the late 18th century in response to changes in fashionable taste.

It was in the early 1780s that Benjamin Vulliamy (1747-1811), King's Clockmaker and junior partner in the family firm, began to develop a range of ornamental clocks to challenge the dominance of French pieces in Society drawing rooms. Although he would certainly have known of Matthew Boulton's clocks with allegorical figures in ormolu, produced in the 1760's-70's, Vulliamy's immediate inspiration probably came from contemporary French clocks. These occasionally used biscuit porcelain figures instead of ormolu and Vulliamy seems to have preferred the cooler neo-classicism of the former.

In this ambitious project, he enlisted the help of William Duesbury I and II, successive owners of the Derby porcelain factory, to try and produce large biscuit figures to rival the productions of Sevres. Although Vulliamy himself would have been responsible for the overall design of these clocks, he employed highly talented young sculptors to model the figures. His practice was to use prizewinners from the Royal Academy Schools who, he evidently hoped, had acquired not only the necessary skills but also an understanding of the latest neo-classical taste.

O n c e modelled, the figures were sent to Derby to be reproduced in biscuit porcelain for Vulliamy's sole use. Surviving correspondence

Vulliamy clock at Buckingham Palace

72

between Vulliamy and the Derby factory shows

THE A S T R O N O M Y C L O C K continued

the serious technical p r o b l e m s that the factory faced in p r o d u c i n g figures o f the precise size, colour a n d quality d e m a n d e d by Vulliamy. As a result, p r o d u c t i o n o f the larger figures was slow a n d they were expensive: Vulliamy was charged 5 guineas each (later increased to 6 guineas) for t h e m .

Vulliamy's first designs for clocks with D e r b y

T h e single-train m o v e m e n t o f the present clock

biscuit figures were relatively simple, b u t by the

is a g o o d e x a m p l e o f the high quality

m i d - 1 7 8 0 s he had developed s o m e larger

w o r k m a n s h i p f o u n d in Vulliamy's p r o d u c t s .

c o m p o s i t i o n s using three biscuit figures (two

W i t h its long, narrow plates, it was clearly m a d e

large and o n e small). O n l y five or six o f these

specially to fit the m a r b l e c o l u m n o f the case.

large clocks are k n o w n for certain to have been

Characteristic Vulliamy features include the use

m a d e : one, apparently d a t e d 1 7 8 7 , was sold

o f a half d e a d - b e a t e s c a p e m e n t , ( m o r e accurate

f r o m the collection o f the D u k e o f B u c k i n g h a m

b u t m o r e difficult to m a k e than the verge or

at S t o w e in 1 8 4 8 (fate u n k n o w n , but its

a n c h o r escapements c o m m o n l y f o u n d in English

s a t i n w o o d pedestal survives); two m o r e ( N o s .

bracket a n d table clocks o f this period); a n d the

1 7 0 a n d 1 7 8 ) , d a t i n g f r o m a r o u n d 1 7 8 8 , are in

small square for 'rise a n d fall' a d j u s t m e n t o f the

the Royal C o l l e c t i o n ; a fourth ( N o . 2 3 6 ) , dates

p e n d u l u m , a b o v e 12 o'clock o n the dial, ( n e a d y

f r o m a b o u t a r o u n d 1 7 9 1 ; while the fifth, d a t e d

concealed o n this clock by a removable o r m o l u

1 7 8 5 , is this clock. A sixth clock, seen by S o p h i e

rosette).

von L a R o c h e when she visited Vulliamy's s h o p in S e p t e m b e r 1 7 8 6 , m a y possibly have been the latter, t h o u g h she described the seated f e m a l e figure as reading a b o o k . E x c e p t for N o . 178, all seem to have used the s a m e basic c o m p o s i t i o n o f figures,

f o r m i n g an allegory o f time.

T h i s clock is the earliest o f the g r o u p to be c o m p l e t e d d u e to the fact that the m o v e m e n t is u n n u m b e r e d (Vulliamy clocks were engraved with their p r o d u c t i o n n u m b e r f r o m circa 1 7 8 8 ) , the m a r b l e scroll is inscribed Design'd & Executed by B. V U L L I A M Y C l o c k a n d Watch M a k e r to H i s M A J E S T Y and it is also signed a n d d a t e d 1 7 8 5 o n the plinth. T h e large

figures

o f a w i n g e d C e n i u s a n d Urania h o l d i n g an armillary sphere (symbolic o f a s t r o n o m y ) , were p r o b a b l y inspired by engravings in M o n t f a u c o n ' s Antiquity

Explained,

a favourite design source for

B e n j a m i n Vulliamy, and m o d e l l e d by J o h n

y

D e a r e G o l d Medallist at the Royal A c a d e m y S c h o o l s in 1 7 8 0 .

a

It was not just the bi.scuit figures o f these clocks that were contracted out. As was normal in the L o n d o n c l o c k m a k i n g trade, most o f the various elements, including the m o v e m e n t , would have been m a d e to Vulliamy's precise specifications by i n d e p e n d e n t specialists, with only final a d j u s t m e n t s b e i n g carried o u t in Vulliamy's own w o r k s h o p . In this, his practice was similar to /

that o f his French c o m p e t i t o r s , the Parisian marchands-merciers. However, unlike m a n y o f their French counterparts, Vulliamy's clocks have m o v e m e n t s o f quality c o m m e n s u r a t e with their ca.ses.

()ur tluinhs to Roqcr Swith fur his help in aitiiloping thii clock

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INCENSE

BURNER

An important Matthew Boulton 'Lyre' perfume burner in white marble with ormolu mounts retaining very fine original gilding; the circular body with gadrooned top rim surmounted by a foliate mounted and pierced lid with acorn finial; the front and back mounted with a lyre and each side with a ram's head (aegricanes), hung all round with garlands of laurel leaves, above two encircling bands with rosette mounts, foliate sprays and circular laurel foot; raised on circular socle mounted with ox skull (bucrane) masks, laurel swags and lamb's tongue foot, on double stepped base with guilloche borders.

English, circa Mil Height: l l V s i n / 2 9 . 5 cm Diameter of base: 6 in / 15 cm LITERATURE:

Cf Nicholas Goodison, Ormolu: Matthew

Boidton,

The: Work of

1974, p p l 4 5 and 151, pis 117

and 118.

This magnificent example of Matthew Boulton's work demonstrates both his skills as the master of English ormolu as well as a force in the late 18th century E^nglish market for luxury. His clients, who numbered King George 111, the Empress Catherine the Great of Russia, as well as numerous key aristocratic figures of fashion, eagerly embraced his classically derived objects and examples of his work may be seen in numerous distinguished private and public collections, including the Royal Collection, Somerset House, London, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, the Metropolitan Museum, New York, and the Art Institute of Chicago.

Listed among the 1782 stock of Matthew Boulton and his partner John Fothergill was a 'lyre essence vase in parts broken'. In Nicholas Goodison's book two pairs of vases are illustrated, one pair with bodies of blue john. All are similarly mounted to the present vase, having both the lyre motif and the sheep's mask, a combination of features that apparently does not appear on any other examples of Boulton and Fothergills' designs.

Boulton used various forms of Derbyshire marbles and this use of white marble with ormolu was a direct reference to the French fashion of the day. The strong neo-classical design of this handsome piece encapsulates the mania for vases of all forms and the insatiable demand for luxury towards the end of the 18th century.

\

\

A MATTHEW BOULTON CANDLESTICK VASE

A PAIR OF CAMPAGNA FORM OPALINE VASES

A white marble and ormolu mounted

A pair of Empire opaline ormolu mounted

candlestick vase by Matthew Boulton, the cast

campagna form vases having finely chased gilt

lid surmounting an urn-shaped body decorated

bronze rims and feet.

with a guilloche band and swags of husks and with swans neck handles on either side, the

French, circa 1810

socle with emerging foliage and laurel foot,

Height: 9 in / 23 cm

raised on a square pedestal o f white marble, each side with an oval medallion representing classical figures framed behind glass and hung with ribbon-tied swags o f husks suspended from ram's masks at the corners, all on a stepped and gilded base with laurel band.

English, circa

Mil

Height: X T U m U X cm Base: 474 x 4V4 in / 10.3 x 10.5 cm

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A GEORGIAN C U T GLASS CHANDELIER A very fine neo-classical chandelier, with six candle arms and six spire arms, attributed to William Parker, with cross-cut and swirl-cut urn stem piece, hung throughout with festoons of pear shaped drops.

English, circa 1780

Overall height: 50 in / 1 2 1 cm Width: 34 in / 86.5 cm

PROVENANCE: French Park, County Roscommon By the last quarter of the 18th century William Parker had become one of England's most prominent chandelier makers. In 1771 he was asked to create the chandeliers for the new Assembly Rooms in Bath, designed by John Wood the Younger. William Parker's chandeliers in Bath put him firmly in the limelight of the fashionable world, and his name appears on many household accounts during the last quarter of the 18th century. In 1782 Parker supplied a pair of twelve light chandeliers to the 5th Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth. He also supplied chandeliers to Arbury Hall, Nuneaton, Clandon Park, Surrey and Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire. Between 1783 and 1786 Parker also supplied £2,500's worth of chandeliers to the Prince of Wales for Carlton House but unfortunately none of these seem to have survived. William Parker was instrumental in the development of the 'classic' neo-classical chandelier of which the one here is a prime example. There were so few chandelier makers at this time, especially ones making such high quality and beautiful chandeliers, that it is highly likely that William Parker was the maker of this very fine example.

C U T GLASS IRISH FRUIT BOWLS

An oval two-piece fruit bowl on a separate cut 'candlestick' base, the deep bowl of compressed oval form with shallow cutting and van Dyck rim.

Irish, circa 1780

Height: 11 in / 28 cm Width: 12'/2in / 32 cm An oval boat shaped fruit bowl on a square, lemon-squeezer base, the bowl lightly cut and with a scallopcd rim.

Irish, circa 1800

Height: 7 in / 18.5 cm

Width: 1372 in / 34 cm

81

A SATINWOOD CARLTON HOUSE DESK

A late 18th century Sheraton period Carlton House desk of rare form in satinwood of exceptionally fine figuring and colour and with kingwood crossbanding and ebony and boxwood stringing throughout, the unusually low superstructure with inlaid rosebud and foliate marquetry detail, the six drawers all mounted with elegant brass handles with swags, the top with reading flap on an adjustable ratchet support, probably retaining its original leather, the front of the desk with one long and two short drawers in the frieze, raised on square tapering legs headed at each corner by inlaid paterae, joined by a shaped lower tier with gallery and ending in brass box castors.

English, circa 1790 Height: 33'A in / 84.5 cm Length: 5474 in / 139 cm Depth: 2774 in / 70.5 cm The term 'Carlton House' has become a popular phrase to describe a writing table with a low superstructure that encloses the sides of the writing area as well as the back.

The Prince of Wales, later George IV, commissioned a table of this model in the 1790's for Carlton House. (For a detailed discussion of this piece, see Geoffrey Wills' article, The Carlton House Writing Table, in Apollo, May 1966). It is known that the Prince Regent gave that desk to Admiral John Willett Payne, his private secretary, for his service in accompanying the Prince's future wife, Princess Caroline of Brunswick, to

England from her home. Mallett acquired the desk from the descendants of Admiral Payne and sold this historic piece in the 1980's.

The Prince Regent was passionately interested in all aspects of furniture design and interior decoration. He would have ordered the first Carlton House desk from a leading London cabinet maker. Considered a great arbiter of taste, it was only natural that courtiers and members of his inner circle and aristocracy should wish to imitate his style. The description 'Carlton House' was attached to tables of this characteristic shape soon after their introduction. The term is published in 1796 to describe a desk illustrated in the Gillow's Cost Book that was of 'mahogany fine veind ven.r' with 'satin and rosewood bands and strings' and was costed at f l 7 . 8 s . 8 d . At this cost and with an estimated time of 351 working hours to make, only the wealthiest patrons would have been able to commission such a writing table. One such client was the Earl of Derby who commissioned Gillows of Lancaster in 1798 to 'make him a table as the one supplied two years ago'.

Carlton House writing tables were clearly popular for a while, although it is rare to find one in satinwood in as good condition and colour as this example. This model of desk was designed to be free-standing and, as such, the back is beautifully veneered and banded with inlaid marquetry detail in keeping with the front. Like the original Carlton House

Thomas Sheraton's drawing of 1793

desk, this piece is made in satinwood of exceptional figuring and patina and exhibits similarly elegant draped swag handles.

The present desk is a variation on a type first recorded in a design by George Hepplewhite and published in The Cabinet Maker's London Book of Prices, 1st Ed, 1788, pi 21. This pattern book, published two years after Hepplewhite's death, had considerable influence and is looked upon as a landmark in furniture history. Hepplewhite was apprenticed to Gillow's of Lancaster and subsequently came to London, where he opened a shop in Redcross Street, St Giles, Cripplegate. The aim of his design book was stated in the preface 'to unite elegance and utility, and blend the useful with the agreeable.' Hepplewhite unites the flowing shapes of mid 18th century furniture with the elegance of the neo-classical. The cost of making what he describes as 'A Gentleman's Writing Table', is noted as £8, by far the most expensive item in the whole book, and this was only the cost to make it, not the price to be charged to the customer.

Thomas Sheraton also published a writing table of a similar design in The Cabinet Maker and Upholsterer's Drawing Book, 1793, pi 60. This smaller table is described as a 'Lady's Drawing and Writing Table', and is noted as having a 'rising desk in the middle will serve to draw upon; and the small drawers below the coves at each end will be found convenient for colours'. He intended the drawer in the middle of the front for keeping drawings and the top to be lined with green leather or cloth. Sheraton is widely associated with the use of light coloured woods such as satinwood that were fashionable at the time.

82

AN IVORY A N D B O N E 'DIEPPE' M I R R O R

An unusual and rare late 19th century [Dieppe

navigation. In 1628, a fleet o f ships returned

ivory and bone mirror, the mirror plate within a

from the coast o f Guinea bringing back large

carved ivory frame o f applied styHsed leaves

quantities o f gold, malaguette (pepper) and

decorated with coats o f arms and flags flanked by rwo satyrs with motto

Dominvmihadifior,

ivory. From this time onwards, sailors in port as well as local craftsmen sculpted figures in ivory.

also with heraldic beasts, masks, dolphins and

By the early 17()0's, approximately 5 % o f the

dragons, mounted on a modern devore backing.

total working population carved in ivory.

French, circa 1880

The very nature of the ivory tusk makes it

Height: 5174 in / 131.5 cm

impossible to work with on a grand scale and

W i d t h : 3274 in / 82 cm

most items were small devotional and historical

The city o f Dieppe on the north coast o f France

artists in Dieppe introduced a unique technique

has been a notable centre o f decorative work in

o f applying small carved pieces o f ivory to large

figures. However, by the mid 19th century,

ivory from the 16th century. It was a busy port

pieces o f furniture. It was a detailed and time

and played an important role in the history of

consimiing art form so very few pieces were made

E

A PAIR OF G E O R G E III S A T I N W O O p C A R D TABLES

A G E O R G E III P A I N T E D W I N D O W SEAT

A fine pair of late 18th century Sheraton period

A George III painted window seat with scroll

satinwood card tables of breakfront outline with

arms and slightly bowed front, the seat rail with

bowed corners, the tops inlaid with broad

central flower motif and husks and with paterae

purpleheart banding within ebonised and

at each corner, raised on turned and fluted legs,

boxwood stringing and painted with a running

decorated throughout in dark green on an

band of foliate scrolls centred by Prince of Wales

off-white ground.

feathers, the frieze with ebonised and boxwood stringing, raised on square tapering legs with double gate-leg action, painted with pendant

Height of arms: IG^U in / 66.5 cm

swags and headed by purpleheart tablets with

Length: 42 in / 107 cm

painted flowerhead paterae, ending in collared

Depth: 17 in / 43 cm

feet; the interiors of the fold-over tops lined with green baize.

86

English, circa 1780

87

A rare and very fine set of four Adam period carved giltwood oval back armchairs, the frame of the curved back carved with beading and scrolling ribbon and raised on acanthus supports, the arms with carved acanthus and fluting, the bowed seat rail with anthemion frieze and bead and reel borders, raised on fluted tapering legs headed by paterae.

English, circa 1775 Height: 37'/4 in / 94.5 cm Width: 2472 in / 62 cm Depth: 21 in / 53 cm

c •T-

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FOUR OF A SET OF EIGHT EARLY 19TH CENTURY CHINESE PAINTED PAPER PANELS

Four from a set of eight \in\is\iz\ early 19th century Chinese painted paper panels depicting pheasants and other smaller birds and butterflies amongst flowering branches, blossom and a variety of flowers and fruits, all on a bright sky blue ground.

Chinese, circa 1820 Framed: 7574 x 2974 in / 191 cm x 74.5 cm

An early 19th century circular mahogany dining

On the table:

Six from a magnificent set of twenty-four silver

table of large scale, the well figured tilt top with

A speciment wood 'lazy susan' on a turned brass

plates made by an unidentified Hanover maker

reeded edge and beautifully faded colour, raised

stand.

in the French manner, bearing the cypher of

on a massive turned baluster stem with four

English, circa 1820

George III.

downswept moulded and reeded legs,

Height: lO'Ain / 26.5 cm

German, circa 1790

terminating in square brass castors.

Diameter: 24 in / 61 cm

Diameter: lO'A in / 26.5 cm

English or Irish, circa 1810

An oval cut glass boat-shaped fruit bowl with a

A pair of water jugs of cylindical form, with

Height: 2 9 7 , in / 74 cm

scalloped rim.

serrated rims and notch-cut handles.

Diameter: 68V4 in / 174.5 cm

Irish, circa 1800

Anglo-Irish, circa 1800

Width: 13'/2in / 3 4 cm

Height: 7V2 in / 19 cm

Height: 7 in / 18.5 cm A George III silver coffee pot by Hester Five from a set of eight Georgian glass finger bowls,

Bateman, with ivory handle.

or wine glass rinsers, with two lips and vertical

Hallmarks for London 1775-6.

sides, decorated with a band of narrow flutes.

Height: 12 in / .30.5 cm

English, circa 1810 Diameter: 5 in / 12.5 cm

A charming late 19th century silvered tortoise bell English, circa 1890

Six from a set of twelve bucket shaped rummers.

English, circa 1800 Height: 5 in / 12.5 cm

Length: 6'/, in / 16 cm

'M

A hemispherical cut glass preserve jar and cover.

English, circa 1815 Height: 7 in / 17.5 cm A set of

green stained horn and steel knives

and forks.

English, circa 1880 A pair of Regency cut glass decanters.

English, circa 1870 Height: 10 in / 25.5 cm

LOUIS H A G H E (.1806 - 1885) overleaf

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LOUIS HAGHE (1806 - 1885)

continned

The Artist's Studio - the painter drawing a

as Day & Haghe. Haghe's reputation began to

portrait while ladies examine a portfolio

grow and he was appointed 'draughtsman to

death; an excess of 200 Tmished' watercolours.

and The Artist's Studio - the painter sketching a

His Majesty [King William IV]' an honour

Haghe's first great success came with Interior

model in historical costume

continued with the accession of Queen

of the Council Hall of Courtray now known as

Victoria in 1837. He was responsible for

The Council of War (1839) which quickly

A pair

perhaps the most celebrated suite of prints of

found its way into the national collection, the

Both signed and dated 1860

the 19th century, Sketches in the Holy Land,

gift of Robert Vernon in 1847 (Tate, N00456).

Watercolour over pencil heightened with

Syria and Egypt (published 1842-9) after David

That same year his Meeting Room of the

Roberts' mammoth record of topographical

Brewers' Corporation at Antwerp (current

Unframed: 26 x 36 in / 66 x 91.5cm

views of the region. The two became good

whereabouts unknown) attracted great praise

friends and in 1853 Charles Dickens found the

from the art critic of the Illustrated

Louis Haghe's artistic career could almost appear

two together sketching in Rome. Haghe also

News, "How fine is Haghe! ...it is

bodycolour

to have two phases. Born in Tournai, Belgium he became a of pupil of the artists Jan Baptiste de Jonghe (1785-1845) and the French emigre

London

issued sets of his own prints with Portfolio of

unquestionably the best picture in the

Sketches in Belgium and Germany (1840-1850)

exhibition" (15 May 1847).

and Views of Santa Sophia (1852).

Chevalier de la Barriere from whom he learned

In 1852 Haghe abandoned printmaking

lithography and painting in watercolours. He

Haghe though began to build a new career as a

moved to London in 1823 to work for the

watercolourist. His first submission from his

to painting in watercolours and the occasional

London publisher William Day based at 17

business address was four works to the New

oil. He exhibited only eight oil paintings at the

Gate Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields. The firm was

Watercolour Society in 1835. This exhibition

British Institution, London. The Visit to the

to become the leading printer and publisher of

forum was founded a few years before in 1832

Studio was exhibited at the 1858 exhibition

colour lithographs in the mid 19th century.

and it must have had strong appeal to the

(no 83), and though its current whereabouts is

completely and devoted the rest of his output

Though there seems to have been no formal

budding Haghe for he continued to submit

not known the composition is known of from

partnership, the input of Haghe into the venture

work there more or less continually for the

a wood-engraving after it that appeared in the

was such that from about 1833 the firm traded

next forty-nine years until a year before his

press, probably The Athenaeum.

96

The work is of

relevance here not least because many of the

that the views were painted as "representations

The present views are packed full of the

items in the painting appear in the present

of interiors with 'picturesque' furniture in

many props and accessories that an artist,

watercolour views o f the studio interior.

them, which seem to be painted solely with a

particularly one specialising in historising

view of, and love of, old furniture and

work, would be expected to have: suits of

Haghe also contributed to the Winter

curiosities" (10 November 1866). The works

armour, swords, guitar, pike, plaster

exhibition of'sketches and studies'. This pair

may indeed be views o f Haghe's own south

reproductions of antique sculptures such as

o f interiors appear to be those that he

London studio. In 1866 Haghe is recorded as

the Venus de Milo. The space depicted is

submitted for the first exhibition of these types

living as Fern Lodge, Stockwell Green (later

certainly a studio though not purpose built;

of works in 1866, both listed as 'interior of an

103 Stockwell Road). Unfortunately the house

the large window, that typically faced north

artist's studio' (no 83 and no 100). This no

is now demolished.

to receive the maximum daylight, is an adaptation. The thick heavy curtain would

doubt sought to capitalise upon the interest in 'looser' handling compared to the large

In 1885 Haghe exhibited at the Birmingham

'finished' watercolours typical of those in the

Society of Artists' first Spring exhibition of

Summer exhibition; the works are inscribed 'a

'watercolour drawings and sketches' Interior

sketch' (this may refer to the sparing use o f

the artist's studio (no 184, no price given). In

of

have served as a suitable area for models to change. Purpose built studio-houses, the grandest survivor of which is Frederic Leighton's house in Holland Park, was somewhat unusual in the mid 19th century.

gum arabic rather than a statement of'finish').

the sale of his effects at Christie's on the 3-4

Contemporary reviews of the works revelled in

July 1885, two lots appear to be these

the delights the views afforded the viewer. The

watercolours; Interior of the artists studio and

Illustrated London News, a long supporter o f

Haghe's work is held in several major public

Another

Haghe, exclaimed "the figures form only part

collections, most significantly forty-two works

garden. It would appear that these works had a

of the interest of two large views...of the

in watercolour in the Royal Collection, as well

high personal attachment. Two years later in

as twenty-one at the Victoria and Albert

view of the same, looking towards the

interior of his own studio, with its rich and

1868 he exhibited another work Interior of the

picturesque furnishings of carved cabinets,

Museum. The Ulster, Belfast and British

Artist's studio (no 185) and again no price was

Museums also hold examples, as well as Tate

tapestry, armour, and other artistic properties"

given indicating that perhaps both pictures

(10 November 1866). The Athenaeum attested

Britain and the Art Gallery of New South

were not for sale.

Wales, Sydney.

97

A SET OF SIXTEEN GEORGE III DINING CHAIRS

A rare set of sixteen Chippendale period mahogany dining chairs, consisting of two armchairs and fourteen single chairs, the backs with shaped top rails centred by a fan motif flanked by carved acanthus scrolls, with moulded side supports and scroll carved pierced back splats with foliate decoration and floral paterae, all on square moulded legs joined by 'H' stretchers.

English, circa 1760 Armchairs: Height: 38 in / 96.5cm Width: 2 5 ' / 4 i n / 6 4 c m Depth of seat: 2074 in / 52 cm Single chairs: Height: 37 in / 94 cm Width: 2VU in / 54 cm Depth of seat: 18 in / 46 cm

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A SECRETAIRE C A B I N E T BY J O H N McLEAN

McLean cabinet hy courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum

A Regency ormolu-mounted secretaire cabinet by John McLean (1770-1825), the cabinet with a single drawer in the frieze with a panelled front with lion's head ring pull handles, decorated with garlands of flowers within an egg-and-dart border opening to reveal a writing surface in front of a series of small drawers and pigeon-holes, above two panelled cupboard doors with egg-and-dart moulding flanked with further drops of giltmetal flowers headed by lion's masks below classical terms, all supporting a superstructure of bookshelves with inset mirrored glass back and pierced geometric panelled sides below a pierced gallery, all supported on turned parcel-gilt feet.

This secretaire can confidently be attributed to John McLean of 55 Upper Marylebone Street, one of the major names of London cabinetmaking in the early 19th century. Influenced by the style of the late Louis XVI and Empire periods, he made furniture to appeal to the taste of those who still favoured the earlier French style, inspired by the likes of Weisweiller and Reisener. On his trade labels he advertised himself as specialising in 'Elegant Parisian Furniture'. A secretaire of identical form to this, other than the shape of the finials, and bearing McLean's label is in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

English, circa 1810 Height: 59 in / 150 cm Width: 37 in / 94 cm Depth: 1472 i n / 3 7 cm

McLean was also influenced by Thomas Sheraton and subscribed to his Cabinet Directory of 1803. There he is listed among the master cabinet-makers, a small work table of his being described by Sheraton: 'The design.. .taken from one executed by Mr M'Lean in Mary-le-bone street, near Tottenham court road, who finishes these small articles in the neatest manner'.

LITERATURE:

C f : Ralph Edwards, The Dictionary of English Furniture, vol I, pi59, % 82 Frances Collard, Regency Furniture, pi45 Margaret Jourdain, Regency Furniture 1795-1820, pi37, fig 153

There is a considerable group of known pieces of furniture attributable to McLean's workshop.

They show a favour for rosewood veneers, satinwood banding and boxwood stringing, delicate brass inlay in some instances, giltwood detail in others. The gilded mounts are finely chased and the fluted brass insets found for example on his writing tables and bonheurs du jour are a hallmark of his work. Overall the quality is consistently fine and the style distinctive.

Documentation of McLean's output is minimal but there are accounts for furnishing for the 5th Earl of Jersey at Middleton Park in Oxfordshire and for his house in Berkeley Square in London. Also, a stamped games table exists at Saltram in Devon and another similar table from Grimsthorpe in Lincolnshire is recorded. Other examples likely to be by McLean can be seen at Harewood House in Yorkshire and at Culzean Castle in Ayrshire.

It is notable that McLean's idiosyncratic style stands out uniquely and consistently amidst the predominant, late neo-classical revival fashion of the English Regency era.

101

A S A T I N W O O D ARTIST'S TABLE

i

A late 18th century satinwood artist's table, the lifting top of rich figuring and colour with mahogany banding with boxwood and ebony stringing, the frieze similarly banded with mahogany and stringing and with oval inlay at each corner, the single drawer with ivory escutcheon and circular brass handles opening to reveal a detachable locked compartment for paints and brushes, the sides with candle slides, supported on circular reeded tapering legs ending in brass cup castors.

English, circa 1780 Height: 29'/, in / 74 cm Width: 2274 in / 58 cm Depth: 17 in / 43 cm

A P A D O U K G A M E S TABLE

An early 19th century padouk games table, the rectangular top with rounded corners and a satinwood border, the removable central section between two flaps and with a chess board on the reverse, enclosing a removable backgammon board inlaid with lozenges of ivory and ebony, the frieze with a single drawer, all supported on rectangular end supports with panelled bases leading to downswept legs and terminating in brass castors; with ebony and ivory stringing throughout.

English, circa 1820 Height: 27V, in / 70.5 cm Width (open): 45 in / 114 cm Depth: 21V, in / 55.5 cm l.riKRATURK:

A comparable games table is in the Noel Terry Collection at Fairfax House, York and illustrated in P Brown's The Noel Terry Collection of Furniture nnd Clocks, 1987, pi 18.

LORD C U R Z O N ' S IVORY T H R O N E CHAIRS overleaf

I w o r e m a r k a b l e early 19th c e n t u r y I n d i a n p o l y c h r o m e p a i n t e d , ivory v e n e e r e d t h r o n e c h a i r s in a n e x a g g e r a t e d R e g e n c y style, c a r v e d a n d d e c o r a t e d o n every s i d e in s h a d e s o f g r e e n , b l u e a n d red, h i g h l i g h t e d with g o l d . E a c h c h a i r has a slightly a r c h e d , p a n e l l e d b a c k with reeded t o p rail, v a r i o u s l y c a r v e d with f l o w e r h e a d s , w i t h i n interlaced gilt b o r d e r s o n o n e chair a n d w i t h i n s c r o l l i n g f o l i a g e with s m a l l fish o n the other. T h e c e n t r a l , recessed panel o f e a c h has a large, s i n g l e

flowerhead

with s c r o l l i n g f o l i a g e

either side, w i t h i n b o r d e r s o f either e n t r e l a c o r sinuous

flowering

foliage. The u p r i g h t s are

c a r v e d with stylised a c a n t h u s .

T h e reverse s i d e s o f b o t h c h a i r s are a l s o lavishly c a r v e d a n d d e c o r a t e d with stylised f o l i a g e a n d flowers,

fluting

a n d entrelac. I he d o w n - c u r v e d

a r m s u p p o r t s t e r m i n a t e in tiger's m a s k

finials,

t h e teeth b a r e d . T h e seats are c a n e d , w i t h i n b o w e d scat rails, with varied a n t h e m i o n m o t i f s all r o u n d a n d raised o n s a b r e legs

decorated

with a r u n n i n g fern p a t t e r n a n d all e n d i n g in large p a w feet.

I n d i a n , p r o b a b l y M u r s h i d a b a d , circa 18.30 T h e .seats r e - c a n e d a n d n o w with yellow silk squab cushions.

H e i g h t o f b a c k : 4 1 7 2 in / 1 0 5 c m H e i g h t o f .seat rail: 2 0 7 2 in / 5 2 c m W i d t h a c r o s s feet: IG'/i

in / 6 7 c m

D e p t h : 2 9 in / 7 4 c m

IM«WI:NANC;H:

F r o m a s u i t e o f ivory .seat f u r n i t u r e f o r m e r l y in the c o l l e c t i o n o f l.swari N a r a i n S i n g h , M a h a r a j a h o f B e n a r e s (ruled

18.35-1889),

by 188.3.

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B y de.scent to P r a b h u N a r a i n S i n g h , M a h r a j a h o f Benares.

F r o m w h o m a c q u i r e d by G e o r g e N a t h a n i e l C u r z o n ( 1 8 5 9 - 1 9 2 5 ) , 1st M a r q u e s s C u r z o n o f K e d l e s t o n , V i c e r o y o f I n d i a , for 1 C a r l t o n H o u s e T e r r a c e , L o n d o n , a n d r e m o v e d o n his d e a t h to K e d l e s t o n H a l l , D e r b y s h i r e .

B y d e s c e n t t o t h e T r u s t e e s o f the K e d l e s t o n Estate, Kedleston Hall.

m

WE^ m

George Nathaniel C u r z o n , eldest sone of Baron Scarsdale, was born at Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire. Having excelled academically b o t h at Eton and O x f o r d , he later entered politics, becoming an M P in 1886. T h e following year he began extensive travels all over the East, which gave him an early insight into oriental affairs and direct personal contact with eastern rulers.

His political career gained m o m e n t u m with an a p p o i n t m e n t as Under Secretary for India in 1891, Under Secretary for foreign affairs in 1895 and, in 1898, he was chosen to be Viceroy of India, This, when he was only thirty-nine, was a towering achievement. H e was aLso given an Irish barony, having been unwilling to accept an English peerage with its accompanying bar from the H o u s e of the C o m m o n s .

As Viceroy he was often controversial and constantly at war with his officials. H e did, however, manage to introduce significant reforms b o t h political and social, including the establishment of the N o r t h West Frontier Province and the partition of Bengal. H e returned to England in 1905 after disagreements with Lord Kitchener over proposals regarding the Indian army.

It was d u r i n g his career in India that Lord Curzon developed his passionate interest in Eastern artefacts, b e c o m i n g an avid collector and supporter of India's artistic heritage. O n his return to England in 1905 he bequeathed half his collection to the Bethnal Green branch of the Victoria and Albert M u s e u m and, from 1916, crcatcd a m u s e u m at his family h o m e at Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire. However, the suite of which the.sc chairs formed a part was retained

by Curzon for his L o n d o n residence, 1 Carlton H o u s e Terrace, and they remained there until his death in 1925 when they removed to Kedleston.

T h e remaining chairs in the suite at Kedleston were romantically labelled as being part of T i p u Sultan's chattels, seized by the victorious British forces at the fall of Seringapatam in 1799, though this is unproven. T h e defeat of T i p u Sultan was a great m o m e n t in British imperial history and inevitably his possessions were sent back to Britain as trophies. A gold tiger's head

finial f r o m his t h r o n e is now encased in a

Stylistically these throne chairs are unique and

corridor of W i n d s o r castle, having been

were clearly a specific commission.The western

presented to G e o r g e III. As a consequence

form clearly indicates the influence of European

m u c h Indian f u r n i t u r e that c a m e to Britain was

furniture pattern books on the indigenous

automatically associated w i t h T i p u and his

cabinetmakers. While many of the Indian

court.

craftsmen imitated fashionable English designs, they always incorporated their own bold and

T h e earliest reference to the suite occurs in

idiosyncratic styles. T h e motifs are drawn from a

1883, w h e n the M a h a r a j a of Benares exhibited

classical source: there are Grecian and Roman

the chairs at the Calcutta International

elements combined to create a feeling of Imperial

Exhibition of 1883-4. Lord C u r z o n was

splendour. T h e grand scale clearly indicates the

obviously struck by the suite w h e n he stayed as

intentions of the person who commissioned them.

the Maharaja's guest in 1899. T h e suite was

T h e chair legs are Grecian-scrolled and tiger-

installed in the official guesthouse, Nandesur,

pawed in the manner of an 1804 pattern issued in

where he was being lodged. T h e i r impressive

T h o m a s Sheraton's Cabinet-Maker, Upholsterer

scale and the boldness of the decoration

and General Artist's Encyclopaedia, to which the

obviously appealed to C u r z o n , w h o m a d e an

celebrated Calcutta cabinet-making firm of

i m m e d i a t e a t t e m p t to acquire t h e m f r o m the

Stewart & C o subscribed.

KedUuon Hall

M a h a r a j a . T h e Maharaja, however, w a n t e d to present t h e m to h i m but C u r z o n had to decline

T h e carved foliate designs are decorated in vibrant

politely, being a senior g o v e r n m e n t official.

vegetable dyes with gilded lines to exaggerate the

T h e y finally struck a deal in which C u r z o n

feeling of grandeur, yet the lack of consistency in

ordered a 3 0 3 rifle f r o m his L o n d o n gun

the decoration indicates a charming naivety on the

makers in return for this magnificent suite of

part of the craftsmen. T h e imagery is taken from

f u r n i t u r e . T h e terms of the sale were extremely

nature, with sinuous interlocking vines and boldly

controversial, c u l m i n a t i n g in a Parliamentary

executed lotus flowers. T h e construction is also

report into the transaction in 1903.

unusual and there are no known comparisons.

107

A VIENNESE REGULATOR CLOCK BY MARRENZELLER A mid 19th century Viennese regulator clock with a seconds beating eight day movement, the mahogany case with satinwood stringing and the enamel dial signed Marrenzeller in Wien, with a steel rod pendulum and gilded engine turned bezel.

Viennese, circa 1840 Height: 57 in / 145cm Width: 13V4in /35cm Depth: &U\n /17cm The Viennese regulator clock was created at the end of the 18th century when Austria was aligned with France. In those days before digital clocks, regulators produced accuracy of an unprecedented degree. They provided large residences with a reliable record of time from which to regularly set all the other clocks in the house.

Scientific exploration and invention were major preoccupations of the Napoleonic period and a movement of such refinement and complexity was in itself a great source of interest. This is one reason why the case has glazed panels on the front and sides. The precision of the brass movement, a Viennese striking quarter with one month's duration, can easily be admired. The glass also provided a more effective barrier than wood to changes in atmospheric conditions, while sealing the pendulums inside a glass case prevented variations in air pressure caused by their swing.

The Empire style architecture and furnishings were influential to the designs of the regulator clocks. The clocks made before 1850 tended to be simpler than the clocks produced later. The lines were finer, casework was narrower and in general the clocks were more rectilinear than the later, often very ornate styles. The complexities of the movement influenced the clockmaker's choice of case enormously. The very finest mahogany veneers were selected, with boxwood stringing to emphasise the clean, precise nature of the object. The design became synonymous with the Biedermeier period, between 1820 and 1840, predominately in Austria and Germany.

109

A TERRACOTTA DOG

A CARVED WOOD BAVARIAN DOG

A French mid 19th century terracotta model of

A mid 19th century naturalistically carved wood

a standing dog modelled and patinated in a

model of a dog depicted standing with his head

naturalistic manner.

turned to the left, the fur and musculature rendered in particularly fine detail.

French, circa 1860 Height: 22 in / 56 cm

Bavarian, 1860

Length: 33 in / 84 cm

Height: 24 in / 61 cm Length: 30 in / 76 cm

110

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111

A FINE BOHEMIAN RUBY-STAINED GOBLET An unusually tall and imposing ruby-stained glass goblet, the cover engraved with Gothic tracery, the body superbly wheel engraved with a scene of merrymakers celebrating the vintage. A group of revelers are seated under a vine-entwined bower toasting the vintage, against a backdrop of a mountainous landscape with nearby castle and a river, possibly the Rhine, below. Wine is being served from a barrel, in roemers, and the hatted figure in the foreground holds a glass jug decorated with cut flowers. In the background a bearded musician plays a mandolin. The younger man holds aloft a humpen garlanded with vine leaves. The reverse shows a cartouche with the infant Bacchus playing a horn within which is an unidentified coat of arms.

Bohemian, circa 1840

Height 21'A in/ 55 cm

112

m

A SMALL R E C E N C Y CHANDELIER i X A n early l ' ) t h c c n t u r y o r m o l u m o u n t e d c u t glass

J

d i s h light c h a n d c l i c r o f s m a l l p r o p o r t i o n s , the c o r o n a with a gallery o f a n t h e m i a h t i n g with c u t a n d faceted d r o p s , the lower dish s u s p e n d e d b\'

aft 1 11

!ll• i'.l*

l i n k e d brass a n d gilt metal c h a i n s , s u p p o r t i n g six c a n d l e no/./.les a n d a central s t e m with p i n e a p p l e finial w i t h i n a gallery o f a n t h e m i a , with a p e n d a n t

a c o r n tinial with G r e e k key

p a t t e r n b a n d at the b a s e s u r r o u n d e d b\ f u r t h e r

f

faceted d r o p s .

E n g l i s h , firai

1820

H e i g h t : 3 2 7 - in / 8 2 . 5 c m D i a m e t e r : 1 "S in / 3 8 c m

w

1

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A LARGE REGENCY LANTERN

A large Regency brass hexagonal hall lantern surmounted by arched scroll supports rising to the top, the moulded and reeded frame with anthemion motif mounts at the corners and pendant bud finials at the base.

English, circa 1810 With modern three light candle fixture Height: 29 in / 7 4 cm Width: 1772 i n / 4 4 . 5 cm

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A PAIR OF REGENCY MAHOGANY BOOKCASES continued A pair of Regency mahogany bookcases, the upper part with moulded cornice above double doors with brass grilles and reeded pilasters at the side headed by carved paterae, the interior with adjustable shelves, the lower part with panelled double doors with fine flame figured veneers, similarly reeded at the sides and enclosing a single shelf; the silk lining replaced.

A George III cut glass epergne or sweetmeat rri on a pedestal stand with notch cut baluster sti—. and circular base, the eight'S' arms decorated with vertical cutting, each arm having a separat cut saucer shaped bowl, a cut spire rising from the receiver plate and surmounted by a shallow bowl with van Dyck rim, all hung with festoons of pear shaped drops.

English, circa 1810 Height: 84 in / 213 cm Width: 5572 in and 57'11 in / 141 and 146 cm Depth: 1972 in / 49.5 cm

English, circa 1775 Height: 2072 in / 52 cm Width: 18 in / 46 cm a

PROVENANCE:

Possibly originally made for the Rev John Hargreaves (dl818) of Old Hall, Accrington, Lancashire.

Reginald Gervis Hargreaves (1852-1926) of Cuffnells, Lyndhurst, Hampshire, and his wife Alice, nfee Liddell.

By descent.

This pair of Regency period library bookcases are likely to by Gillow's of Lancaster. The design for the rosette headed pilasters appears in their design for 'book-cabinets' for Tatton Park in Cheshire, in 1811, and the flame figured panels of the doors are also notable features of their high quality cabinet-making. Gillow's also had strong associations with the local Hargreaves family who are recorded as customers of the firm from 1809. It is quite possible that these bookcase were originally supplied to the Reverend John Hargreaves at nearby Accrington or possibly for Colonel John Hargeaves who lived near Barnsley in Yorkshire.

These were not, however, simply two handsome bookcases destined for a distinguished library.

They were also to become associated with the enchantment of one of England's greatest creators of children's literature, Lewis Carroll, author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There.

Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) was really Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (his pseudonym being the anglicisation of his christian names). As a child his imagination was already in bloom and he was the inventor of many games and puzzles with which he entertained his ten siblings.

From school at Rugby he went to Christ Church, Oxford, where he became a lecturer in mathematics. A deeply religious man, he was ordained in 1861.

The origin of his magical tales was in a boat trip. All in the golden afiiernoon' of 4 July 1862,

118

which he took with Alice Liddell and her two sisters, who were the daughters of the Dean of his college, Henry George Liddell. It was Alice Liddell who was to become the inspiration for the immortal 'Alice' classics. As they rowed down the river, the three girls appealed to Dodgson to tell them a story. This he did and so was born Alice's Adventures Under Ground.

Thus grew the tale of Wonderland: Thus slowly, one by one.

Its qttaint events were hammered out And now the tale is done.

And home we steer, a merry crew.

Beneath the setting sun.

From the preface to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, 1867

Alice formed a close friendship with Charles Dodgson and she must have made an extraordinary impression upon him. It was she who persuaded him finally to put this story into writing, which he later illustrated himself and presented to her in 1864. Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass were written not long after. Some years later, when Alice was married to Reginald Hargreaves, Dodgson wrote to her thus: 'I have had scores of child friends since your time, but they have been quite a different thing.' To her mother he wrote of Alice's 'infant patronage' without which he 'might possibly never have written at

air.

The Hargreaves family retained many of Alice's large collection of papers, photographs and personal mementoes in these very bookcases. Some were sold in 1928 and others were loaned to Christ Church, Oxford, Lewis Carroll's college, until only recently.

At dinner in the 18th century, after the main courses the dishes were cleared away, the tablecloth was removed revealing a finely polished surface and the table was then re-laid for the dessert. This consisted of a wide range of pastries, fruits, sweetmeats, jellies and syllabubs, all displayed on the most expensive silver, glass and porcelain that the host could afford.

The plates, dishes, decanters and glasses would all surround a centrepiece giving a focus to the table. In France this might be a sur-tout, in England it would be an epergne. These were made in silver, creamware, porcelain or sometimes in glass. The glass ones are now very rare survivals as their form makes them particularly susceptible to breakage. These glass ipergnes were also known by the descriptive term of 'sweetmeat tree'.

Before 1760 these trees were made from blowmoulded glass and had small baskets hanging from the branches, into which the sweetmeats were placed. Later cut glass became fashionable, with facet cutting and notched stems. Some of these still retained hanging baskets but others had arms with sockets in which litde bowls sit, as in this example.

Thomas Jefferson owned and used a similar 'tree' with hanging baskets, which can still be seen at Monticello, Charlotteville, Virginia, the home of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation.

119

A TERRACOTTA FIGURE OF HEBE A rare, near lik* size miti 19th ccntury tcrracotta figure o f H e b e shown a m i d an exotic swathe of" seemingly d i a p h a n o u s cloth with the eagle at her feet, freely modelled t h r o u g h o u t .

French, ami

1840

Height: 55 in / 140 cm W i d t h : 2 6 in / 6 6 c m D e p t h : 20 in / 51 c m

120

A CAMPAGNA VASE

An outstanding early 19th century campagna form marble vase with a finely carved rim in egg and dart motif, the handles carved with flutes and terminating in a stylised leaf; the base of the vase boldly gadrooned and supported on a brass rod, allowing the vase to be rotated, the waisted foot carved with deep flutes and a further egg and dart motif and standing on a square block plinth.

Italian, circa 1810 Height: 2 0 7 ; in / 52 cm Width: 15 i n / 3 8 cm

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A PAIR O F C H I N E S E PAINTINGS O N SILK

A pair of large 18th century Chinese paintings on silk depicting extensive landscapes, one with a central group of two gentlemen in blue robes conversing, with an attendant nearby on a bridge, the other with horsemen on dapple grey mounts on the shores of a lake, each scene within a most unusual border of strapwork and scrolling foliage interspersed with flowerheads and surmounted by a central cartouche.

Chinese, circa 1750 Framed: 3872 x 68V2 in / 98 x 174 cm

,A SET OF TWELVE FAUTEUILS

A set of twelve Charles X mahogany chairs having domed and coved backs with boldly scrolled arms supported at the front by flared block plinths above scrolling front legs, each carved with subsidiary scrolls in low relief, with sabre back legs.

French, circa 1835 Height: 22 in / 56 cm Width: 23 in / 58.5 cm Depth: 20 in / 51 cm

124

-V

125

WILLIAM H U G G I N S (1820-1884) A Terrier seated before a Canton famille rose Vase Pastel and watercolour Signed and dated 1868 Unframed: 21 x 17 in / 53.5 x 4 3 cm Framed: 27'/2 x l y k in / 70 x 59.5 cm William Huggins was born in Liverpool and

126

from 1842 to 1875, as well as at the British

painted animals and landscapes. H e studied

Institute and the Society of British Artists. H e

animals at the zoo and kept many of his own.

had a very individual technique, using pale,

H e became a member of the Liverpool Academy

transparent colours on a white ground. In 1861

in 1850 and exhibited at the Royal Academy

he moved to Chester where he died.

GLASS P O R T R A I T S BY JAMES TASSIE

A portrait to dexter of a middle-aged man with

A portrait to sinister of a young man with long

a pig-tail, signed on the truncation

hair in a pig-tail wearing a cravat, inscribed on

GRAHAME

ARCH.

1795 Tassie f .

the truncation LORD DAER 1794 Tassie f .

Scottish, dated 1795

Scottish, dated 1794

In its original pearwood frame

In its original pearwood frame

Height: 37« in / 8 cm

Height: 378 in / 8 cm

Archibald Grahame (1747-1806) of

Lord Daer {1763-1794) was the second son of

Drumquhassle was a writer and also cashier and

the 4th Earl of Selkirk. The back of the frame

partner of the Thistle Bank, Glasgow.

has written in ink: Lord Daer a valued friend of mine A W. AW is probably Dr Alexander Waugh, an eminent divine, who was also modelled by Tassie in 1794.

127

A LOUIS XVI C O M M O D E

AN EMPIRE C H A N D E L I E R

A fine quality Louis XVI mahogany commode

An exceptional Empire bronze and gilt bronze

having three drawers, the top drawer divided to

chandelier having a corona of tall anthemia and

simulate the appearance of three small drawers,

a pendant acorn finial, the shield form dish

each drawer face mounted with a finely chased

suspended by unusual chains of finely chased

gilt bronze egg and dart border and enriched

gilt bronze elements inset with faceted glass

with delicately wrought stringing; the commode

drops, and mounted with rosettes and with a

supported by turned, brass fluted pilasters at the

pine cone set on an acanthus ground, having

front and square pilasters at the back and

twelve arms issuing from alternate anthemion

standing on turned and tapering topie feet

and lyre elements, the chasing of exceptional

mounted in gilt bronze; retaining its original

quality throughout.

marble top and pierced brass gallery.

French, circa 1810 French, circa 1785

Height: 48 in / 122 cm

Height: 34 in / 86 cm

Diameter: 36 in / 92 cm

Width: 51 in / 130 cm Depth: 24 in / 61 cm

128

TWO MAGNIFICENT VAL S T L A M B E R T VASES

overleaf

T H E 'OPERA' v a s e

A large cobalt blue glass vase with gilt bronze foliate mounts, standing on a marble plinth, the body of the vase decorated with an acid etched frieze of classical maidens with winged angels, designed by Leon Ledru.

Val Saint Lambert, Belgium circa 1913 Height: 3474 in / 87 cm Many governments have their manufactories which they rely on for prestige gifts for visiting heads of state and other dignitaries. France has Sevres, Germany has Meissen, England has Wedgwood, Ireland Waterford, the USA Steuben, and Belgium has the Glassworks of Val Saint Lambert.

The company museum was disbanded in the mid 1990's and Mallett have been fortunate to acquire two of the three grandest items from the museum. The third, which remains in Belgium, is a seven foot high vase made for the Antwerp Trade Fair of 1894 and designed by Leon Ledru.

The large cobalt blue glass vase is in four pieces, standing in a bronze mount on a marble plinth.

The body of the vase is decorated with an acid etched frieze of classical maidens with winged angels (Cortege de Musiciens). The company also made a companion vase of classical warriors (Frise de guerriers a I'antique). Both designs were created by Leon Ledru in 1913 for alcoves in the company's new showrooms which were opened in Brussels the following year. These two vases were titled the 'Opera' vases.

131

m TWO MAGNIFICENT VAL ST LAMBERT VASES continued THE 'EMPIRE' VASE

A large classical crystal glass vase with gilded bronze mounts and scroll handles, designed by Leon Ledru.

Val Saint Lambert, Belgium, circa 1905 Height: 3 2 ' / 2 i n / 8 3 c m Illustrated in Le Val Saint Lambert, Joseph

n

Philippe, Peron, 1988, p 152 '•'•I

This large classical crystal glass vase was designed

by Leon Ledru in 1905. This was at the time the largest and most prestigious item of all the company's production and is known as the 'Empire' vase. A similar vase was presented to Prince Hiro Hito, the future Emperor of Japan, when he visited Lifege in 1927. The vase illustrated here was shown at an exhibition held in 1990 in Brussels, Val Saint-Lambert, art and design 18801990. It is illustrated in Le Val Saint Lamberthy Joseph Philippe, Peron, 1988, pi52.

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132

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A B O U I L L O T T E LAMP

An unusual Swedish Empire period three branch bouillotte lamp with elaborately cast foliate arms and standing on a circular plinth enriched with neo-classical motif, retaining its original tole shade and surmounted by a gilt bronze carrying handle.

Swedish, circa 1820 Height: 23 in / 58 cm

•

m

134

11

A PAIR OF RUSSIAN CANDLESTICKS

A BOULLE INKSTAND

A handsome pair of early 19th century ormolu

An early William IV circular standish in floral

candlesticks with finely turned and crisply cast

boulle marquetry with mother-of-pearl, pewter

ornament, the tapering stem headed by triple

and tortoiseshell, each band of marquetry

ram's head masks and ending in triple claw feet,

bordered with a finely chased lacquered brass

supported on circular base with anthemion and

border. At the centre is a fine quality Baccarat

rosette cast border.

cut glass and brass inkwell.

Russian, circa

The stand, English circa

1830

The inkwell, French circa

1830

1810

Height: 14 in /35.5 cm

Diameter: 16 in / 41 cm

135

A PARISIAN BED

M

A magnificent late 19th century ormolu mounted mahogany bed by Gervais M Eugere Durand of Paris, the mahogany of rich colour and figuring, the rectangular bed head and base centred by a finely chased plaque o f cupids amongst flowers and scrolling foliage, each corner headed by an ormolu sunflower, with square tapering legs ending in brass feet; the bed mounted with ormolu and beaded borders throughout.

T h e whole bed newly upholstered in gold coloured silk.

French, circa 1880 Length: 83 in / 211 cm Height of bed head: 48 in / 122 cm

| n

Width: 6 5 in / 165 cm

ie

Length of mattress: 7 7 in / 195 cm Width of mattress: 59 in / 150 cm

vV

A PAIR OF REGENCE CONSOLES

Two outstanding R^gence giltwood console tables with some variations, each having a frieze of serpentine form and richly carved in high relief with scrolls and foliate ornament, the background cross-hatched and latticed, with a cartouche of martial ornament at the centre, the legs formed from double ' C scrolls and enriched with foliate carving in high relief and joined by a serpentine stretcher with a carved support element to the back rail; one table retaining its original marble top, the other a later replacement.

French, circa 1730 Height: 32 in / 81 cm Width: 50 in / 127 cm Depth: 24 in / 61 cm

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V. -T d.

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An outstanding Victorian octagonal burr walnut centre table profusely inlaid with geometric and stylised floral marquetry, supported by four turned columns enriched with raised collars and with a cross stretcher, having at its centre an elaborately turned and inlaid vase; the table employing two repeated motifs in marquetry: a stylised butterfly achieved in satinwood, ebony and other exotic woods on the frieze, at the points of the octagon and on the scroll feet of the stretcher, and a serrated ornament on the top, the frieze, the legs and on the vase of the stretcher; each element of the table inlaid and carved in fine quality. Stamped Hindley & Sons, 184 Oxford Street, London.

English, circa 1870 Height: 30 in / 76 cm Diameter of top: 54 in / 137 cm

A BURR ELM AND WALNUT GATELEG TABLE A small William and Mary rectangular burr elm gate-leg table of wonderful character and faded colour, with a single drawer on one side, raised on eight ring-turned walnut legs joined by turned stretchers and ending in vase shaped feet.

English, circa 1685 Height: 26'h in / 66.5 cm Width open; 29 in / 74 cm Depth: 23 in / 58.5 cm

m

m

m

A POLLARD OAK LOWBOY

I

A delightful Q u e e n Anne period country lowboy of particularly rare small scale, the quarter veneered top, sides and front all veneered in pollard oak, the three small drawers with drop ring handles above an arched frieze, on turned tapering oak legs ending in pad feet.

English, circa 1710 Height: 2 8 in / 71 cm Width: 27 in / 68.5 cm Depth: 16'/2 in / 4 2 cm

Sfi iif

143

MALLETT PLC DIRECTORS George M a g a n *

Chairman

Lanto Synge Chief

Executive

T h e Hon Peter Dixon

Finance

Director

Paula Hunt Giles Hutchinson Smith

COPYRIGHT

T h o m a s Woodham-Smith

All rights reserved. N o part o f this

Henry Neville

publication may be reproduced, stored in a

T h e Hon M r s Simon Weinstock'^

retrieval system, or transmitted in any form

Simon de Zoete"'

or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,

*

without the prior permission of the

Non-executive

publishers

MALLETT & SON (ANTIQUES) LTD and M A L L E T T GALLERY

London W 1 S 2 B S

© Mallett 2 0 0 3

Telephone: + 4 4 (0) 2 0 7 4 9 9 7 4 1 1

Designed by T h e o Hodges Business Design

F a x : + 4 4 (0) 2 0 7 4 9 5 3 1 7 9

Consultants Printed by Waterside Press

Executive

Giles Hutchinson Smith Managing T h e Hon Peter D i x o n Paula Hunt

All business transactions are subject to our standard terms and conditions o f sale, copies o f which are available on request.

141 N e w Bond Street

L a n t o Synge Chief

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Director

Director

Director

J o h n Smith Associate

A PAIR OF LOUIS XVI KNIFE BOXES

Director

Richard Cave Associate

Director

Jeremy Garfield-Davies Associate

Director A rare pair of gilt tooled red leather cutlery boxes decorated with a coat of arms and stylised

Tarquin Bilgen Charles M a c k i n n o n

Horal motif, opening to reveal a set of twelve

Ainslie M a r c h a n t

dessert knives, forks and spoons in gilt metal in each box.

MALLETT AT BOURDON HOUSE LTD

French, circa 1790

2 Davies Street

Width: 7 in / 18 cm

London W I K 3 D J

Depth: 5 in / 13 cm

Height: 9 in / 23 cm

Telephone: + 4 4 ( 0 ) 2 0 7 6 2 9 2 4 4 4 Fax: + 4 4 ( 0 ) 2 0 7 4 9 9 2 6 7 0 T h o m a s Woodham-Smith Henry Neville

Managing

Felicity Jarrett Associate

Director

4*\

MALLETT INC 9 2 9 Madison Avenue N e w York NY 10021 Telephone: + 1 2 1 2 2 4 9 8 7 8 3 Fax: + 1 2 1 2 2 4 9 8 7 8 4 Henry Neville J a m e s Harvey

Director

Director

President Vice

President

Di

55 . .Si.