Apter-Fredericks 2013 Brochure

Important EnglIsh FurnIturE

2

2012 was certainly an exciting year to be British and in London. The Queen's Jubilee and the Olympics were made all the more poignant by the success of the British

athletes and, of course, who can forget the Queen's daredevil moment with James Bond and Thomas Heatherwick’s magnificent Olympic flame.

It seems like 2013 has only just begun but we are already three months in. After a very good year for Apter-Fredericks in 2012, this year started with an outstanding first quarter and the signs suggest it will continue. Demand for very good pieces of eighteenth century English furniture continues to be strong.

This year’s brochure has seen a slight change in format. All the information now appears with each picture but we continue to present all the items in the same clean, clear and concise manner that we began four years ago. The examples illustrated have been carefully selected, researched and included to provide a diversity of articles from Queen Anne to George IV, from walnut to rosewood. We could highlight a number of the pieces but that would be a shame. We would rather you looked for yourself. You might even find a surprise or two!

It just remains for us to thank everybody who contributed to producing this brochure and of course our clients who very kindly make the purchases that allow us to continue to do something we love and take so much pride in.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Harry Apter & Guy Apter

Front cover: A Gilt-wood Eagle Console Table Attributed to William Bradshaw (see p.108)Opposite: Detail of one of a Pair of Adam Period Gilt Torcheres (see p.4)Back cover: Benjamin Vulliamy’s ‘Long Black Marble Clock with Bronze Lions’ Numbered 408 (see p.63)

Important EnglIsh FurnIturE 3

a pair of adam period gilt torcheres

The design of these tripod candle-stands may derive from a considerably earlier drawing in the V&A, which has been attributed to Thomas Chippendale.1 The drawing includes the same basic elements – three foliate S-scroll uprights ending in ram-head finials and voluted terminals, supporting a tray top and raised on a plinth with splayed legs. The Chippendale design, however, is for a shorter candle-stand and is more naturalistic in treatment, so probably dates from the 1760s. The present stands, taller, more attenuated and more formal, reflect the mature taste of Robert Adam, and may indeed be indebted to a design for ‘a Tripod and Vase for Candles’ published in The Works in Architecture of Robert and James Adam in 1773 (Fig. 1).2 The Adam design, produced for the Earl of Coventry, also shows a three-branch candelabrum on top, such as could originally have been used with the present stands too.

Adam’s design includes a turned central stem like these candle-stands (in place of the flaming urn in the Chippendale design), but it differs in other respects. In particular, the scrolling uprights taper downwards rather than upwards and they end in paw feet rather than volutes. They are raised on a deep plinth base rather than the splayed legs of the Chippendale design and the present candle-stands.

English Circa 1775—80Height 56¼” 143cmDiameter 13¾” 35cm

PROVEnAnCE

Sold at Christie’s London, the property of a lady, 24 June 1976, lot 114With Mallett’s in 1977 (advertised in Country Life, 21 April 1977, Supplement, p. 29)Acquired for Crichel, Dorset by the Hon. Mrs. Marten, OBE, D.L. (probably from Mallett, circa 1982)

MARKS

Both stands stamped on the underside of bottom shelf, respectively, ‘3206’ and ‘3207’Top panels possibly replaced.

REFEREnCE1 V&A, Museum no. 2609. See Christopher Gilbert, The Life and Work of Thomas Chippendale (1978), Vol. II, fig. 376 (and fig. 377, one of a pair of candlestands executed from this design, latterly at Denton Hall, Yorkshire).2 The Works in Architecture of Robert and James Adam (1773), Vol. I, No. I, plate 8. See Elizabeth White, Pictorial Dictionary of British 18th Century Furniture Design (1990), pp. 307, 345.

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Fig. 1 © Victoria & Albert Museum, London

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a Chippendale period 'Breakfast table'

Thomas Chippendale used the term Breakfast Table in 1762, to describe a table with fretwork sides and shaped under-tier, which may be compared to this table.1 Breakfast tables vary widely in form, but having a pierced gallery makes this example extremely rare.

English Circa 1765Width 24" 61cm Depth 18¼" 46.5cm Height 27½" 70cm

REFEREnCE1 T. Chippendale, The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director, 3rd edn (1762), pl. 53.

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Previous page:

a george II period Carved mahogany side table with a Breccia rosato marble top

This handsome mahogany side table is stamped with the journeyman’s initials ‘W H’, a stamp that occurs on a number of chairs that are thought to come from the workshop of Giles Grendey. Grendey may well therefore be the maker of this table.

Giles Grendey was an extremely successful cabinet maker with a substantial business. By 1731 when fire damaged his workshop ‘an easy chair of such rich and curious workmanship, that he had refused 500 guineas for it…together with furniture to the value of £1000 packed for exportation…’ were destroyed. Although few bills from country houses have surfaced, a number of his pieces bear one or another of the two labels he produced and with these and

known commissions it has been possible to build up a known body of work.

Possibly his best known commission was for a suite of red japanned furniture supplied to the Duke of Infantado at the Castle of Lazcano, Spain. This consisted of approximately eighty items. Two further pieces have been discovered in norway suggesting that he had an international business.

Marble replaced.

English Circa 1755Width 72¾” 185cmDepth 35½” 90cmHeight 35½” 90cm

PROVEnAnCE

The Phipps Family TrustHenry Phipps, Jr. emigrated to the U. S. in the early part of the nineteenth century and settled in Pittsburgh. As Andrew Carnegie's business partner in the Carnegie Steel Company he became very wealthy and bought some exceptional pieces including this table.

LITERATURE

F. Lewis Hinkley, Metropolitan Furniture of the Georgian Years (1988), p. 119. Illustrated with later mahogany top.

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lord hesketh's Circular Bookcase from Easton neston

In many ways a testament to the value of books, this bookcase has vertical divisions that are locked to hold retaining bars in place to secure the books. Each tier revolves independently from the others.

A ‘circular movable table’ of this type was published in Ackermann’s Repository of Arts in 1810.1 A strikingly similar example is recorded, bearing the label of cabinet makers Mack, Williams and Gibton.2

It differs principally in having a tripod support, where our bookcase has a French-influenced, fluted and gilded column. This columnar treatment is reminiscent of the furniture supplied to Southill, Bedfordshire for the Whitbread family, much of it to the design of Henry Holland.3

English Circa 1820Diameter 27" 68.5cmHeight 4’11½" 150cm

PROVEnAnCE

Frederick, 2nd Baron Hesketh (1916-1955) Easton Neston, Northamptonshire.Sold Sotheby’s House Sale, Easton Neston, 17-19 May 2005, lot 61.

REFEREnCE1 P. Agius, Ackermann’s Regency Furniture and Interiors (1984), pp. 48–49, pl. 13.2 R. Edwards, Dictionary of English Furniture, revised edn (1954), Vol. I, p. 97, fig. 42.3 M. Jourdain and R. Edwards, Regency Furniture 1795-1830, revised edn (1965), fig.172

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Opposite:

a george III satinwood Drum table

By the 1790s the circular 'drum' library table had become extremely popular, and numerous examples were produced in a variety of styles and woods. Over the course of twenty years they changed from having simple down-swept legs supporting a 'gun-barrel' column to a much heavier form with brass or gilt metal enrichments. This table is an early example, and its lightness is emphasised by the use of pale satinwood – which is more unusual for tables of this type than mahogany or rosewood.

English Circa 1810Diameter 39¾" 101cmHeight 28¼" 72cm

PROVEnAnCE

Private collection, UK

9F264

two painted plaster Figures of george II and george III

Modelled wearing blue coats and each with the Garter Star embroidered onto the coat. Both figures stand holding a cane.

The plinth of George II with the text 'Published May 8th 1820 by F Hardenberg, 19, Mount Street, London'. The Plinth of George III with indecipherable text. However another example, from the collection of Simon Sainsbury (sold Christie’s, 18th June 2008, lot 146) was engraved ‘L. Gahagan’ (either Lawrence Gahagan or his son Lucius), so this figure may be by the same maker.

English Circa 1820George II 12" 28cmGeorge III 11" 31cm

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a rococo gilt-wood pier glass possibly by george Cole of golden square

This pier glass may have been carved in the same workshop as a distinctive group of furniture from St Giles’s House, Dorset, notably a pair of pier glasses that each have a similarly idiosyncratic group of sheep in an open cartouche at the bottom.1 This pair of mirrors, though rather more lavishly carved, also has comparable trailing flowers, C-scrolls and inner vertical sides formed as vestigial pillars with capitals. A picture-frame clearly from the same workshop as the pier mirrors was sold from St Giles’s House in 1980,2 together with another less closely related picture-frame3 and a side-table with a larger cluster of sheep in the apron cartouche.4 The St Giles’s mirror- and picture-frames also feature vivacious pelicans (or imaginary birds) at the upper corners – although these, like the sheep, have no armorial significance for the Earls of Shaftesbury (whose crest and arms chiefly boast bulls). The sheep motif recurs in a pier glass of unknown origin, somewhat similar in composition to the present example though more densely carved.5

A similar repertoire of ornament appears on a pier glass formerly at Hall Barn, near Beaconsfield but this shows a squirrel in the apron cartouche, rather than sheep.6 neither the maker nor a distinct designer has been firmly identified for this group of furniture, although there are evident connections with designs published in the late 1750s by Thomas Johnson. The present mirror has elements in common with all three frame designs in the first plate of Johnson’s Collection of Designs (1758), including the console-scrolled sides (in the left design), the inner vestigial pillars, and the playful depiction of animals.7

The squirrel motif recurs in a remarkable set of pier glasses at Blair Castle, Perthshire, which were supplied to the Duke of Atholl by the upholsterer George Cole of Golden Square in 1761 and 1763.8 It has generally been assumed that these mirror-frames could not have been manufactured in Cole’s workshop, and they have been tentatively attributed to Johnson himself, again on the analogy of his Collection of Designs.9 However, they also relate, and may be indebted, to a design by Matthias Lock, which is of similar profile and likewise displays a full-length human figure in the cresting – a highly unusual and ambitious treatment.10 This relationship to the publications of two different designers is entirely consistent with production in yet a third London workshop. The reluctance of historians to credit Cole as the maker seems to arise chiefly from the fact that little is known of his career or output. However, it must be significant that he was also paid substantial sums for work at Corsham Court, where the State Bedroom houses a pair of oval pier glasses – again with squirrels – that closely correspond to a design by Thomas Johnson.11 The likelihood is that Cole supplied the Corsham mirrors too. He may of course have subcontracted these and the Blair mirrors to Thomas Johnson, or he may himself have supervised their production in his own workshop, taking inspiration from published designs. If he ran a more ambitious workshop than has so far been realised, he is also a candidate for the maker of the present mirror.

This mirror-frame houses a single, full-height bevelled glass plate, which may have been redeployed from an early eighteenth-

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century mirror. The re-use of expensive mirror plates was by no means uncommon in the eighteenth century, and some frame designs indeed appear to have been devised specifically for this purpose.12 This may account for the fact that certain designs for Rococo mirror-frames have strictly rectilinear inner edges, while others have scrolled edges like the outer frame. Examples of both types are often combined by Johnson on the same plate.

English Circa 1760–65 Height 72” 183cmWidth 36” 91.5cm

REFEREnCE1 A. Coleridge, Chippendale Furniture (1968), p. 204 and 317.2 Christie’s London, 19 June 1980, lot ????, also illustrated on front cover of Christie’s sale catalogue, Highly Important English Furniture and Scuplture from St Giles’s House, Dorset, 26 June 1980. See also M.J. [Margaret Jourdain], ‘Furniture at St Giles,

Dorset’, Country Life, 23 June 1934, pp. lxvii–lxx (p. lxviii, fig. 3).3 Christie’s London, 27 June 1980, lot 139 (framing a seventeenth-century portrait of Lord Keeper Coventry); also illustrated at the end of the 26 June 1980 sale catalogue (see note 2).4 Christie’s London, 26 June 1980 (see note 2), lot 71. Previously used with a different marble top; see Jourdain, op. cit. (note 2), p. lxx, fig. 5, and Coleridge, op. cit. (note 1), p. 209 and fig. 365.5 G. Wills, English Looking Glasses (1965), fig. 86.6 Sold Christie’s, Hall Barn house sale, 29 September 1969, lot 28. This mirror also has birds at the top corners, but much less finely executed than those in the St Giles’s frames. These and some other elements of the carving may be replaced.7 T. Johnson, Collection of Designs (1758), plate 1; reissued as One Hundred and Fifty New Designs (1761), plate 34. See Elizabeth White, Pictorial Dictionary of British 18th Century Furniture Design (1990), p. 331. Animals are similarly treated in Johnson’s designs for pier tables (op. it. 1758, plate 19; op. cit. 1761, plate 40; White, op. cit., p. 269).

8 Wills, op. cit. (note 5), p. 93, fig. 78. The first mirror was supplied by Cole for Dunkeld House in 1761, the other three for Blair Castle in 1763.9 Johnson, op. cit. 1758 (note 7), plate 6; op. cit. 1761 (note 7), plate 211; White, op. cit. (note 7), p. 332.10 M. Lock, A New Book of Ornaments for Looking Glass Frames, 1st ed. c. 1752, reissued by Robert Sayer in 1769; see White, op. cit. (note 7), pp. 342–43).11 J. Cornforth, Early Georgian Interiors (2004), pp. 199–200, figs 263–64. See Johnson, op. cit. 1758 (note 7), plate 10; op. cit. 1761 (note 7), plate 55; White, op. cit. (note 7), p. 333. For George Cole see G. Beard and C. Gilbert (eds), Dictionary of English Furniture Makers (1986), p. 187.12 This is especially evident in a manuscript design by John Linnell for a narrow, arch-topped mirror, extended with carved scrolls and swags at either side to rest on a considerably wider pier table (V&A, Museum no. E.248-1929).

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a regency Blue John Vase

The urn shaped body with acorn finial above an ormolu foliate mount to the base and raised on a circular pedestal with an ormolu garland around the top rim.

English Circa 1800Height: 14" 35cmDiameter: 4.25" 11cm

51770


a george I Burr Walnut armchair

In eighteenth-century bills and inventories certain chairs are described as ‘dressing chairs’. In the first quarter of the century, such chairs appear to have had lower backs than were otherwise typical for the period, so as to allow a servant to dress the occupant’s hair from behind. This low-backed chair, with widely spaced arms inviting relaxation, may well have been made for this purpose. Dressing chairs were usually made as singletons or in pairs, but in the very grandest apartments they were sometimes made in sets of up to six.1

This chair is a particularly fine example, with an unusual circular seat and cartouche-

shaped back. The legs are of a fashionable model, carved with a stylized shell on the knee and a ball-and-claw foot. The burr veneer on the back, carefully selected for its figure, has acquired a rich golden colour.

The needlework is contemporary with the chair but not original to it.

English Circa 1725Width 24” 61cmDepth 24” 61cmHeight 35½” 90cm

LITERATURE

Similar Chairs illustrated in R.W. Symonds,

English Furniture From Charles II to George II (2nd Ed. 1980), p.121, fig.93H. Cescinsky, The Old World House (1924), Vol. II, p.18

1 L. Wood, The Upholstered Furniture in the Lady Lever Art Gallery, 2 vols (2008), Vol. I, pp. 38–40, figs 47–48.

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a pair of ormolu-mounted satinwood and amaranth side-tables

Amaranth is more commonly referred to in England as purpleheart. When freshly cut it is bright purple but fortunately the purpleheart banding on these tables has faded! The tables, which are very good quality, retain their original ormolu mounts.

English Circa 1850 Width 55" 140cmDepth 19" 48.5cmHeight 36" 91.5cm

51743

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Previous page:

a pair of george III papier mâché mirrors from Freston lodge, Ipswich, possibly by John linnell

These refined neo-classical oval pier glasses relate very closely to a number of designs by the Berkeley Square cabinet-maker John Linnell (1729–1796), dating from the mid-1770s, which variously show similar fluting, gadrooning, foliage, crossed palms, and urns (Fig. 2).1 The resemblance is so close as to warrant at least a tentative attribution to Linnell. His workshop, however, was renowned for its carving, and is not otherwise known to have specialized in the imitative technique of papier mâché. This technique, also known as carton pierre, was seen as a French import and a threat to British manufactures, which at the same time carried the seductive caché of Parisian style.

These conflicting sentiments are embodied in the life and work of Thomas Johnson, one of the principal English proponents of the French Rococo style, who nevertheless dedicated his Collection of Designs (1758) to Lord Blakeney, Grand President of the Anti-Gallican Association, whose stated aim was ‘to oppose the insidious arts of the French nation’.2 Johnson’s frontispiece featured a winged putto setting fire to a banner entitled ‘French Paper Machee’ (Fig. 3). Linnell himself maintained strong links with French design and designers. If the attribution of these mirrors to his workshop is sustained, they form an important addition to our knowledge of his repertoire.

English Circa 1775Height 70" 178cmWidth 41½" 105.5cm

PROVEnAnCE

Freston Lodge, Ipswich

REFEREnCE1 H. Hayward and P. Kirkham, William and John Linnell, 2 vols (1980), vol. II, figs 194–982 Rococo: Art and Design in Hogarth’s England, exh. cat., V&A (1984), cat. nos C23 and L44.

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Fig. 2 © Victoria & Albert Museum, London Fig. 3

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a rare george II mahogany Bottle Carrier

Sometimes known as a 'wine waiter', this type of bottle carrier seems to have been a distinctively Irish form.1 Intended for use in a dining room, it was fitted with compartments for bottles and with castors to allow it to be circulated amongst the guests.

Irish Circa 1755Width 28" 72cm Depth 16" 41cm Height 22" 55cm Internal spaces 5¾” 14.5cm

REFEREnCE1 R. Edwards, Dictionary of English Furniture, revised edn (1954), Vol. III, pp. 374–75,fig. 1.

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a george III three pedestal Dining table

‘Dinner is one of the most wearisome of English experiences lasting, as it does four or five hours.’ So wrote François de La Rochefoucauld (1613–1680). It was little changed in the following century, when Mary Granville (1700–1788) remarked, ’I have not seen less than fourteen dishes of meat for dinner, and seven for supper during my peregrinations‘. Dinner in eighteenth-century England was a formal affair – still served à la Française – and an obvious opportunity to display one's wealth. Host and hostess could impress their guests by the display of silver on the table

and also by a new range of exotic foods, sometimes imported at great expense.

The table has original brass box castors and original fittings to allow each top to tip for storage. The two insertion leaves are an excellent match although not original.

English Circa 1810Width 56" 142cmLength 177" 450cmHeight 28" 71cm

51702

On the table (previous page) are:

a Fine and rare set of Four george III Cut glass Candelabra

These candelabra are neo-classical in form, graceful, elegant and simply adorned with drops and chains.

English Circa 1790Height 23¼" 59cmWidth 16" 41cm

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a set of twelve late Eighteeenth-Century mahogany Dining Chairs

The backs of these chairs, with their pierced bar splats, serpentine top rail and in-curved sides, are clearly indebted to late Rococo models, as reflected in the designs of Thomas Chippendale. However, the refined and attenuated form, the turned legs, and the finely carved neo-classical anthemion and husks reveal their slightly later date. The columnar form of the front legs – with round plinth feet, husk-wrapped reeded shafts and turned and waisted capitals – is particularly stylish. A further refinement is seen in the saddle seats, which allow for greater comfort.

norman Adams, who once had these chairs in his stock, was one of the most highly regarded dealers of the twentieth century.

He set great store on gradual patination in a piece of furniture, giving it a colour and glow that was lost in re-polished pieces. These chairs – one of very few to be illustrated in colour in the book published to celebrate the firm’s history – fully exemplifies the qualities he valued so highly.

English Circa 1775ARM Width 23¼" 59cm Depth 19" 48cmHeight 38¼" 97cm

SInGLE Width 22½" 57cmDepth 18" 46cmHeight 38¼" 97cm

PROVEnAnCE

Norman Adams Antiques, KnightsbridgeTrevor Antiques, Mayfair and BrightonDr Norman Keevil, Vancouver, Canada

LITERATURE

C. Claxton Stevens & S. Whittington, 18th Century English Furniture, The Norman Adams Collection (1983), pp. 59 and 69

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a matched pair of george III satinwood Chests of Drawers attributed to gillows

The design for these chests survives as a coloured drawing in Gillows’ pattern book, and another similar example banded in purpleheart appears in their Estimate Sketch Books, dated 24 October 1789.1

A pair of chests was supplied to Sir John Shaw Stewart for Ardgowan, Renfrewshire in 18012, and an identical commode chest was supplied to Lord Eglington in 1798.3

The close resemblance of these chests to the drawings and the documented examples

makes attribution to Gillows fairly watertight. The silver-plated handles are another feature characteristic of the firm, and the overall quality of the chests is also consistent with their work.

English Circa 1800Width 45" 114.5cm / 44½" 113cmDepth 24½" 62cm / 23¾" 60cmHeight 34¼" 87cm / 33¾" 86cm

PROVEnAnCE The McCarthy Collection

REFEREnCE1 L. Boynton, Gillow Furniture Designs 1760–1800 (1995), colour pl. 112 S. Stuart, Gillows of London & Lancaster, 2 vols (2008), Vol. I, p. 352, fig. 4123 D. Jones and J. Urquhart, ‘Gillows in Scotland 1770-1830’, Regional Furniture, Vol. 12 (1998), p.138, fig. 21

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a green Japanned Bookcase Formerly in the Fogg art museum

The bookcase is one of several examples that appear to come from a single workshop, and it is among the finest examples of japanning (the historic European imitation of East Asian lacquer). At least three other bookcases can be identified as part of this group: one that was acquired by Queen Mary, which was subsequently in the collection of the Duke of Windsor;1 a second that was formerly handled by Apter-Fredericks;2 and a third that was published in 1971.3

This example belonged at one time to the famed collector Grenville Lindall Winthrop (1864–1943), a contemporary of J. Pierpont Morgan, William Clay Frick and Paul Mellon. He assembled one of the most important art collections in America in the early twentieth century, ranging widely across different cultures and eras. At his death Winthrop was hailed as 'the most discriminating eclectic that America has ever known amongst collectors'.4

English Circa 1725Width 39½ " 100cmDepth 23½ " 60cmHeight 92" 234cm

PROVEnAnCE

Grenville Lindall Winthrop (d. 1943), at 15 81st Street, New York (in the bedroom of his brother, Beekman Winthrop).Bequeathed by G. L. Winthrop in 1943 to to the Harvard Art MuseumsThe collection of the Fogg Art Museum and the Busch Reisinger Museum, Harvard University; by whom sold

REFEREnCE1 O. Brackett, English Furniture Illustrated (1950), p.136 2 Apter-Fredericks, Important English Furniture, Vol. I [2011], p. 303 H. Huth, Lacquer of the West (1971), figs 59 & 604 New York Times, 17 October 1943

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34

a regency Bench

This bench is decorated on the frieze with the crest of the celebrated collector and author William Beckford and was probably made for his palatial folly in Wiltshire, Fonthill Abbey. Having run through the fortune left to him by his Father, he was forced to sell the house, along with his art collection, for £330,000, the equivalent of approximately £26 million today.

Some time later, when the new owner arranged an auction of the contents, at

a time when the market was depressed, Beckford and his son in law, the Duke of Hamilton, bought back a considerable number of pieces, many of them for less than the price he originally paid.

English Circa 1800Width 54½" 138cmDepth 15¾" 40cmHeight 18½" 47cm

51752


a rare regency Campagna Vase in Blue John

The vase made of Blue John from the Bull Beef vein from the upper level, including some of its famous "Double Stone" pattern and sections of "Winnats Five Vein". The base in black Ashford marble and with rarely seen low relief etched decoration on each side of the plinth.

An outstanding example.

English Circa 1815Width 7¾" 20cmHeight 12½" 31.5cm

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a george III Brass-Bound octagonal Cellaret

The architect Robert Adam remarked that the English were ’accustomed by habit, or induced by the nature of our climate to indulge more largely in the enjoyment of the bottle’ than the French. The wide variety of forms of wine cooler produced in the eighteenth century tends to endorse this comment. Perhaps the most common form adopted at this time was an octagonal box on stand with a flat lid. The example shown here has a much more unusual lid, in the form of a pagoda or concave-sided dome.

English Circa 1760Width 18½" 47cmDepth 18" 46cm Height 37" 94cm

PROVEnAnCE

Exhibited by Norman Adams at the Grosvenor House Antiques Fair, 1955. Illustrated in the handbook, p.9.

LITERATURE

C. Claxton Stevens and S. Whittington, 18th Century English Furniture, the Norman Adams Collection (1983, revised 1985), pp. 248–49

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38

a george III marquetry shield-back settee

Marquetry seat furniture has always been uncommon, probably because the marquetry itself is liable to be damaged by snagging clothes. There was a select vogue for marquetry chairs in the early eighteenth century – particularly for chairs decorated with monograms or armorials, which were undoubtedly intended for display more than practical use.1 In the late eighteenth century the practice was even more unusual, but in the 1770s it was occasionally adopted by

John Linnell – for instance in the Library suite at Osterley Park, and in a suite formerly at Culham House, Berkshire, probably in the drawing room.2 An anonymous set of neo-classical chairs from Sheringham Hall, norfolk, has oval splat backs with semi-naturalistic neo-classical marquetry.3

The present settee, which formed part of an original set with another settee and eight elbow chairs, is still later than any of these

comparable suites. It represents a luxurious and highly unusual variation on the shield-back type of the 1780s–90s, which was normally executed in carved mahogany or with painted decoration. Both treatments are suggested in Hepplewhite’s Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterers’ Guide, in which numerous variants of the type were published (in three editions of 1788, 1789 and 1794).4 Mahogany was the more conventional treatment, but the Hepplewhite commentary notes that


‘a new and very elegant fashion has arisen within these few years, of finishing them with painted or japanned work, which gives a rich and splendid appearance to the minuter parts of the ornament’.5 The type was also much favoured by Gillows, who were already producing both carved and painted versions by the time Hepplewhite’s pattern book was first published.6

Some anonymous versions in carved mahogany are leavened with small marquetry motifs,7 but the present suite, decorated in marquetry throughout, is quite exceptional. It must undoubtedly have been prescribed by the original client, who remains unidentified. This fastidious client must also have had a very specific interior in mind for these intimate two-seater settees, made at a time when three-seaters had become the norm.

Another matching settee is available at the time of publication.

English Circa 1785–90Height 37½" 95.5cmWidth 51" 130cmDepth 26" 66cm

PROVEnAnCE

Arthur Leidesdorf collection; sold Sotheby’s, London, 28 June 1974, lot 146 (part)Sold Christie’s, London, 9 April 1981, lot 29

REFEREnCE1 L. Wood, The Upholstered Furniture in the Lady Lever Art Gallery (2008), Vol. I, pp. 68, 205–27 (cat. nos 15 and 16).2 For the Osterley elbow chairs (a set of eight), and the the Library desk and writing tables en suite, see H. Hayward and P. Kirkham, William and John Linnell (1980), Vol. I, pp. 64, 117, Vol. II, figs 71, 156–57; M. Tomlin, Catalogue of Adam Period Furniture, Victoria and Albert Museum, 2nd edn (1982), pp. 37–41 (Group E, with Linnell’s design for the chairs, E/1a), 299. The Culham House suite, comprising eight elbow chairs, three window seats and two side tables, is attributed to Linnell on stylistic grounds; it was sold by Major Phillips, Sotheby’s house sale, 9–11 April 1935, lots 83–85, and parts of the suite have appeared on the market more recently; see Wood, op. cit. (note 1), Vol. I, p.68, fig. 79, Vol. II, p.638 and n.18.3 Two chairs from this suite are in the Lady Lever Art Gallery (Wood, op. cit. (note 1),

pp. 631–38, cat. no. 59). The rest, comprising two elbow chairs, eight plain chairs and an urn table, were sold from Sheringham Hall, Christie’s house sale, 22–23 October 1986, lots 78–79; and re-sold (except for the urn table), Christie’s London, 20 May 2010, lot 105. Only three chairs in the entire suite are of the original manufacture, c. 1780; the other pieces may date from c. 1812–19. 4 All three editions were published by Alice Hepplewhite, widow of George Hepplewhite who died in 1786. See A. Hepplewhite and Co., The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer’s Guide, 3rd edn (1794), pp.1–2 and pl.1–7 and 9; Elizabeth White, Pictorial Dictionary of British 18th Century Furniture Design (1990), pp. 86–90.5 Hepplewhite, op. cit. (note 4), p.2.6 S. Stuart, Gillows of Lancaster and London, 2 vols (2008), Vol.I, pp.158–70 and pl.111–29; L. Boynton (ed.), Gillow Furniture Designs (1995), colour pl. 24. In 1801 Gillows informed a customer that they did not own a copy of ‘Habblethwaite’s Publication’ (G. Beard and C. Gilbert (eds), Dictionary of English Furniture Makers (1986), p.422).7 For example, Wood, op. cit. (note 1), Vol.II, pp. 677–81, cat. no. 64 and figs 424–25.

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40

a regency mahogany Barometer

The domestic barometer, or ‘weathered glass’ as it was frequently called, began life late in the seveneteenth century and became increasingly popular throughout the eighteeenth.

During the first half of the nineteenth century, the demand for fine barometers grew exponentially, with the expansion of a prosperous middle class market; and manufacturers produced a wide range of decorative, finely worked instruments in response to this demand.

This rare and elegant wall-hanging barometer has a most unusual and decorative design. The richly veneered stem, moulded at the top and base, includes an integral semi-circular cross-banded structure to accommodate the paper dial, read through a glazed aperture. The scale registers from 28½ inches to 30½ inches and can be read to one-twentieth of an inch via a single hand.

The dial is signed and dated by Thomas Hargraves of Settle, 1832. A barometer maker of this name is recorded as first working in Settle in the last quarter of the eighteenth century.1 It is likely that he was succeeded by a son of the same name.

Height 38½” 98cm Width 11¼” 28cm

REFEREnCE1 E. Banfield, Barometer Makers and Retailers 1660 – 1900 (1991), p.103

51754


a george III adam period Carved mahogany side table

The table has been constructed from the very finest mahogany. Consequently, the finely executed carving is as crisp today as it was when carved 250 years ago.

The design of the leg is similar to that in a design by Chippendale, published in the 3rd edition of the Director (1762), pl. 61 (Fig. 4).

English Circa 1770Width 72¼" 183.5cm Depth 29¾" 75.5cm Height 34¼" 87cm

51223

Fig. 4

42


a george I Carved gilt-wood and Cut gesso mirror

In the early eighteenth century any mirror with candle arms was known as a sconce. It was still a relatively novel feature of the Georgian interior, and became increasingly common as free-standing candle stands went out of use. This example has the double-arched plate and scrolled cresting typical of the 1720s, and the decoration is a combination of finely cut gesso work and boldly carved softwood.

Sconces were generally sold by cabinet-makers, and examples of this form are associated with some of the best known practitioners of the time, such as John Gumley, James Moore and John Belchier. However, it is possible that much of what they sold was made on other premises by specialist ‘looking-glass makers’. One such was Isaac Odell (d.1727) who worked near the Strand. As well as supplying mirrors on his own account direct to clients, Odell

acted as a subcontractor to prominent London cabinet-makers. It is often difficult, therefore, to attribute mirrors to particular makers, but in the present case there are close parallels with a sconce bearing the trade label of Thomas Cleare (Fig 5).1 Cleare was a cabinet-maker, who worked at the sign of the ‘Indian Chair’ in St Paul’s Churchyard in the 1720s – thus a contemporary and neighbour of John Belchier.

The plate original, the candle arms replaced.

English Circa 1725Width 33” 84cm Height 60” 152.5cm

REFEREnCE 1 A. Bowett, Early Georgian Furniture (2009), p. 281, pl. 6.28.

51656

Fig. 5

44


a Kidney shaped Desk in amboyna and Ebony

The kidney desk and the Carlton House writing table are two of the most sculptural forms of English furniture, both of them designed to be free-standing. This example is of an excellent colour and of the very finest quality.

The inclusion of shelves on the back is a particularly pleasing feature, which is by no means always adopted; in some cases the kneehole extends through the back.

English Circa 1860Width 50" 127cm Depth 26" 66cm Height 29" 74cm

51227

46


a pair of regency side Chairs

These generously proportioned chairs, with sweeping back legs, wide seats and tall backs, are of exceptional quality. They were made towards the end of the Regency period, possibly by Morel & Seddon, cabinet-makers to George IV.

English Circa 1825Width 22" 56cmDepth 23¼" 59cmHeight 38½" 98cm

51617

48

a regency side Cabinet

The cabinet is a classic example of Regency furniture which exploits the contrast between a dark wood and bright gilt-metal mounts to great effect. Its opulence reflects the confident mood of the Regency period.

English Circa 1810Width 42" 107cmDepth 13½" 34cmHeight 36" 92cm

51665


50

a William IV Circular Dining table

This stylish table will comfortably seat eight people. The concave sides of the plinth keep it out of the way of those seated at it.

When lit by candle-light, the golden-coloured mahogany takes on a wonderful glow.

The top may be tipped for storage and retains its original gilt metal clip.

English Circa 1835Diameter 69" 175.25cmHeight 29" 73.5cm

51729


an Exceptional Inlaid urn stand

The fashion for tea drinking was brought to the English court in the 1660s by Charles II’s queen, Catherine of Braganza, who had been a devotee since her childhood in Portugal. Thereafter the taste for tea quickly spread among the British aristocracy.

Whilst tea was drunk by men in the coffee houses where they met to do business and discuss the events of the day, women were excluded from this activity and instead held tea parties in their homes. These parties offered the hostess an opportunity to display her taste and sophistication. Consequently a great deal of money was spent on the tea equipage. This included the china, the silver and also the furniture. Specific pieces of furniture were made for the purpose, including urn stands to support the tea urn.

Interestingly, tea drinking had its critics. In 1757 the philanthropist Jonas Hanway published an essay on the effects of tea drinking, 'considered as pernicious to health, obstructing industry and impoverishing the nation'. He even claimed that it had an especially bad effect on women, such that 'there is not quite so much beauty in this land as there was'.1 Dr. Johnson, however, poured scorn on Hanway’s views.2

This urn stand is one of at least three with very similar inlaid decoration, which were clearly made in the same workshop.3 This example retains its original gallery and slide and is in very good condition.

English Circa 1780Width 11½” 29cm Depth 11½” 29cm Height 28” 71cm

REFEREnCE 1 Jonas Hanway, An Essay on Tea. (1757)2 Dr. S. Johnson, The Literary Magazine 2, no. 13 (1757).3 Of the other three, one was sold from Godmersham Park, Kent, Christie’s house sale, 6–9 June 1983, lot 376; another was formerly in the stock of Norman Adams (C. Claxton Stevens and S. Whittington, 18th Century English Furniture: The Norman Adams Collection, 2nd edn (1985), p. 328); and the third was recently in our stock (Apter-Fredericks, Important English Furniture, Vol. I [2011], p. 83), although it is possible that this one is the Godmersham example.

51682

52


54


Previous page:

a pair of george III mahogany Chests of Drawers

The small scale of these chests gives them a particular charm, which is enhanced by their subtly serpentined fronts, with fretted chamfered front corners, and their simple swan-neck handles. Unusually for this period, the cabinet-maker has decorated the top with quartered veneers (four slices cut from the same block of wood) of a strongly figured pattern. This decorative device is much more typical of the early eighteenth

century but distinctly uncommon a generation later, when these chests were made. The handles and feet are original.

English Circa 1760Height 30¾" 78cmWidth 40" 101.5cmDepth 19" 48cm

51339

56

a pair of george III mahogany & Brass Candelabra

Until the beginning of the nineteenth century light came from one of three sources; the sun, the moon and the flame. So it is not surprising that the variety of forms adopted to hold a candle were so great. On this ingenious example from the latter half of the eighteenth century the candle arms may be moved up and down the column to the desired height.

English Circa 1775Diameter 13¼” 34cm Height 19¾” 50cm

51691


58


Previous page:

a pair of george II gilt-wood mirrors attributed to matthias lock

These mirrors are conceived in the fluent, controlled manner which distinguishes the work of the carver and designer Matthias Lock (c.1710-65), one of the leading figures of the English Rococo movement.

The overall form of the mirror is strongly symmetrical, and the carving of the individual elements emphatic and robust. At each side of the frame, two outward looking heads rise from elongated scrolls. This is a distinctive motif, frequently used by Lock.

The collection of Matthias Lock’s drawings in the Victoria and Albert Museum includes a 'sconce' pattern,1 which he published as an engraving in 1744 (Fig. 6).2 The present pair of mirrors were undoubtedly produced by a carver with knowledge of this design. The fact that the mirrors differ from the design but retain the fluidity and confidence so evident in documented work by Lock is a good indication that Lock himself may be the carver. All too often mirrors are attributed to Lock because they are an exact match for one of his published designs – which is more

likely to be indicative of the work of a copyist, relying on Lock’s published engravings.

Matthias Lock is considered to be one of the greatest draughtsmen of his age. He produced numerous designs which were published and is best known for the table and mirror he made for Hinton House, which are now in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

English Circa 1750Width 35” 89cm Height 59” 150cm

PROVEnAnCE

Exhibited by Leonard Knight Ltd at the Grosvenor House Antiques Fair, 1949 (illustrated in the handbook, p. 59)

REFEREnCE1 V&A, Museum no. E.3379-1938 2 Matthias Lock, Six Sconces, 2nd edn (1744), pl. 4.

51646


60

a pair of hepplewhite period Decorated armchairs

In the full neo-classical style popular in the last quarter of the eighteenth century, these armchairs are nicely proportioned and superbly decorated. While there is insufficient evidence to assign them to a particular maker, there are striking similarities between these chairs and a number of others that have been attributed to Seddon & Sons & Shackleton.

At one time this business was the largest and most successful in London. Seddon's workshop was described by London visitor Sophie v. La Roche in 1786: "We drove first to Mr. Seddon's, a cabinet-maker, ...who employs four hundred journeymen in all sorts of

tasks, which are necessary of the proper furnishing of any house. …All this is carried out in a building with six wings. In the basement mirrors are cast and polished. In one of the other departments nothing is produced but chairs, sofas, and stools of all kinds … One large room is absolutely full up with finished articles in this line, while more rooms are occupied by writing-tables, cupboards, chest of drawers, …from the simplest and cheapest to the most elaborate and expensive."1

When he died he left an estate valued at £250,000, equivalent to about £16,000,000 today.

An additional pair of chairs are available at the time of publication.

English Circa 1785-90Width 22¼” 57cmDepth 19¼” 49cmHeight 37” 94cm

1 C. Gilbert and L. Wood, ‘Sophie von La Roche at Seddon’s’, Furniture History, Vol. 33 (1997), pp. 30–34 (pp. 30–31)

51604


a pair of regency Cut glass Decanters

Some antiques are hard to find, either because few examples were originally made, or because the environment in which they were used and the material they are made from make them particularly vulnerable. This is certainly the case with 'ship's' decanters.

The so-called ship’s decanters are otherwise known as Rodneys (after the naval hero Admiral Rodney). Their distinguishing

feature is their wide flat base. This pair are very finely cut and in excellent condition.

English Circa 1800Height 10½" 27cm

LITERATURE

R. Butler, Great British Wine Accessories (2009), p.136 for further examples.

51635

62

Benjamin Vulliamy’s ‘long Black marble Clock with Bronze lions’ numbered 408

Benjamin Vulliamy was the son of a Swiss watchmaker who emigrated to London and married the daughter of the King's Watchmaker, Benjamin Gray. Towards the end of the eighteenth century Vulliamy was very successfully competing with French makers supplying ornamental clocks in the neo-classical taste. By the 1800s his success led him to expand his repertoire. Taking advantage of wartime restrictions on the import of French luxury goods, he began producing exquisite ornaments for the wealthiest connoisseurs in Britain, including the Prince of Wales.

Vulliamy was one of very few clockmakers who numbered their work. Fortunately, two of his work books are still in existence, housed with the British Horological Institute at Upton Hall, nottinghamshire, and clock number 408 is detailed. The clock was made for Charles Cockrill Esq, at a total cost of £29 3s. 6d. This is a fine example of his work, made all the more interesting for being so fully documented.

The back plate signed Vulliamy, London, 408. The pendulum with a steel rod and heavy brass bob also stamped 408.

English Invoiced by Vulliamy May 30th 1807Height : 10¾” 27cm Width : 13¾” 35cmDepth : 3¾ “ 9.5cm

PROVEnAnCE

Supplied to Charles Cockrill Esq. on 30th May 1807. Private collection, Austria. Private collection, UK.

51777


a sheraton period sideboard

The sideboard, designed to provide a surface from which food could be served, was vulnerable to continuous marking, scratching and staining. Consequently, many examples have been re-polished on one or more occasions. This sideboard, unusually, has escaped such restoration and has developed a splendid surface in faded and patinated mahogany.

It is fitted with a central drawer, a cupboard behind the left-hand door and a cellaret

drawer behind the right-hand door. Its most unusual feature, however, is the slide above the left door, which may be used to hold serving dishes.

English Circa 1790Width 73" 185cm Depth 29½" 75cm Height 36" 91cm

51636

64


66

a george I Burr Walnut tea table

The tea table is veneered in highly figured burr walnut with herring-bone inlay and cross-banded borders, consistent with the finest walnut furniture of this period. However comparisons with other contemporary pieces stop here. The shape of this table is, as far as we can discover, unique, and the decoration in relief on each leg has no parallels. The resulting table is a classic example of cabinet-making at its best.

The maker has a true affinity with his materials and an eye for proportion and shape. The table is a most understated star.

English Circa 1720Width 33½” 85cm Depth 15½” 39cm Height 28” 71cm

51668


a pair of george I Burr Walnut side Chairs

This model of chair is known in both English walnut1 and Chinese rosewood (huali) (Fig. 7).2 The Chinese versions, made for the export market, are so close to the English prototypes that they must have been copied from an actual chair, taken out to China for the purpose. Some chairs of this model appear in a conversation piece by William Verelst, dated 1741 (Fig. 8).3 This shows the family of Sir Henry Gough, a wealthy merchant who built his fortune on trade with India and China. Whether the chairs shown in this picture are English or Chinese is uncertain, but Sir Henry very probably owned examples in both kinds, and it may well have been he who sent out the English version to be copied. However, it appears that at least three Chinese sets were made, so they were presumably sold to other merchants besides Gough.4

English Circa 1720Width 22” 56cm Depth 21½” 55cm Height 39¼” 100cm

PROVEnAnCE

Perhaps Sir Henry Gough, 1st Bart (1708–1774)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1918; deaccessioned.

REFEREnCE1 Three more in walnut were sold at Phillips, London, 26 November 1985, lot 29 – two of which are now in the Gerstenfeld Collection (E. Lennox-Boyd, Masterpieces of English Furniture: The Gerstenfeld Collection (1998), pp. 80–81, 207 (cat. no. 32). 2 A set of two armchairs and four side chairs is in the Lady Lever Art Gallery, and several others have appeared on the market (L. Wood, The Upholstered Furniture in the Lady Lever Art Gallery (2008), Vol. I, pp. 429–40 (cat. no. 36); C. Crossman, The Decorative Arts of the China Trade (1991), p. 233, fig. 85; D. Howard, A Tale of Three Cities: Canton, Shanghai and Hong Kong, exh. cat., Sotheby’s (1997), p. 168, fig. 217). By kind permission of Sotheby's.3 Private Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum. See Manners and Morals, exh. cat., Tate Gallery, London (1987), pp. 124–25 (cat. no.107).4 Wood, op. cit. (see note 2), p. 436.

51742

Fig. 7


68


a neo-classical gilt-wood Bracket

The form of a Roman tripod altar, with sacrificial ram-head finials, engaged the attention of several neo-classical architects, including James 'Athenian' Stuart,1 William Chambers,2 and of course Robert Adam.3

The model was generally adapted for use as large, free-standing tripod torchères, as for example in the Drawing Room at Osterley Park – although Stuart’s tripods at Shugborough are only 3 feet high.4 Stuart also designed a number of gilt-bronze tripods of similar small scale to the present carved bracket, but these were again free-standing and raised up on pedestals of varying height .5

Conversely, Adam’s designs for ‘antique’ wall brackets for the most part make no reference to the tripod form.6 The present bracket is unusual in being a near-direct translation of a free-standing tripod torchère, but reduced in scale and vertically bisected, to allow it to be mounted on the wall. Parallels are to be found in the output of Thomas Chippendale, father and son – notably in the frontispiece to Chippendale junior’s Sketches of Ornament of 1779 (Fig. 10).7 This curious confection shows a similar two-dimensional approach to three-dimensional forms, and the design of the present bracket echoes both the tripod at the centre and the flowers on a splayed dish at the top. Similar motifs appear at the top and bottom of a pair of oval pier glasses supplied for Harewood House c. 1778–79 – nominally by Chippendale senior, but from the period when his son increasingly assumed artistic control of the workshop.8

English Circa 1780Width 15¼ ” 38.5cm Depth 6½” 16.5cm Height 24½” 62.5cm

REFEREnCE1 S. Weber Soros (ed.), James Athenian Stuart, exh. cat. (2006), pp. 458 (fig. 10-73), 598 (no. 45), a pair of tripod stands at Shugborough.2 W. Chambers, A Treatise on the Decorative Part of Civil Architecture, 3rd edn (1791), 'Various ornamental utensils'; see R. Middleton, in J. Harris and M. Snodin (eds), Sir William Chambers, exh. cat. (1996), p. 75 and fig. 104. The heads in this design are hybrids, satyr-masks with ram horns, the legs ending in cloven feet.3 The Works in Architecture of Robert and James Adam, Vol. I, No. I (1773), pl. VIII. See E. White, Pictorial Dictionary of British 18th Century Furniture Design (1990), pp. 307, 345.4 The Osterley tripods are 57 in. (144.5cm) high. See M. Tomlin, Catalogue of Adam Period Furniture (V&A, 1982), cat. no. F/3. Tomlin suggests a connection to a manuscript design by Adam (ibid., fig. F/3a). For the Shugborough tripods see note 1.5 S. Weber Soros, op. cit. (note 1), figs 10-20, 11-1–3, 11-6–7. For Stuart’s wider use of the tripod form see ibid., pp. 427–32.6 R. and J. Adam, op. cit. (note 3)., Vol. I, No. I (1773), pl. VIII, Vol. II, No. IV (1778), Pl. VIII; White, op. cit. (note 3)., p. 404. Only one of these designs is derived, more loosely, from a tripod altar.7 Victoria and Albert Museum, E.4342-1905. See I. Hall, ‘The engravings of Thomas

Chippendale, Jnr, 1779’, Furniture History, Vol. 11 (1975), pp. 56–58 and pl. 1.8 C. Gilbert, The Life and Work of Thomas Chippendale (1978), Vol. I, colour pl. 11 and p. 197; Vol. II, fig. 286.

51657


Fig. 9

70


a george III satinwood Carlton house Writing table

This form of writing desk emerged as a novelty in the 1790s. With a curved back and elegant super-structure, it was designed to be moved away from the wall into the centre of a room to be admired from all angles. This function accounts for the consistently high level of finish on all sides of the present example; and its small scale allows it to be placed in almost any room.

The type was first described as a Carlton House writing table by Gillows of Lancaster and named after the Prince Regent's palace Carlton House. The Prince Regent owned at least one such desk, made by John Kerr in 1791, perhaps to the design of George Hepplewhite.1

Another mahogany example almost identical to the present one was exhibited at Grosvenor House in 1973.2

English Circa 1800Width 41¾” 106.5cm Depth 24½" 62cm Height 33½” 85cm

REFEREnCE1 Hugh Roberts, ‘The First Carlton House Desk?’, Furniture History, Vol. 31 (1995), pp. 124–28.2 Exhibited by Glaisher & Nash at the Grosvenor House Antiques Fair, 1973, Illustrated in the handbook, 1973, p.37

51714

72


74

a george III hepplewhite period Chest of Drawers

The surface of this chest shows how subtly mahogany can change colour over time. The quarter-veneered top has become a golden colour and the front is rich and well figured with a tulipwood banding to each drawer. The serpentine front is confidently drawn and the overall shape nicely softened by the canted corners which have been inlaid with simulated fluting.

English Circa 1780

Width 41½" 105cmDepth 24¾" 63cmHeight 33" 84cm

51708


76


a pair of george III sheraton period Console tables

As with so much English furniture, the original history of these tables is lost, and we know nothing of either their maker or their first owners. However, they were clearly made in the same workshop as a group of tables with very similar carved swagged ribbons in the frieze. This group includes another pair of tables published in 19111 and a singleton published in 1922.2 Our pair of tables was exhibited at the Grosvenor House Antiques Fair in 1952.

English Circa 1790Width 39” 99cm" Depth 16½” 42cm Height 35½” 90cm

PROVEnAnCE

Exhibited by Loewanthal ltd. at the Grosvenor House Antiques Fair, 1952. illustrated in the handbook, p.62

REFEREnCE1 H. Cescinsky, English Furniture of the Eighteenth Century, 3 vols (1909–11), Vol. III, pp. 30 & 312 M. Jourdain, English Decoration and Furniture of the Later Eighteenth Century (1922), fig. 381

51730

Fig. 11

78

a pair of george III Blue John urns

The pair of urns turned from attractively striated Derbyshire fluorspar, known as Blue John and possibly from the Miller’s Vein seam.

Finely proportioned and a good colour.

English Circa 1790 – 1800Diameter 4¼" 10.75cmHeight 10½" 26.5cm

51728


80

Opposite:

a Dutch Cabinet Veneered in mahogany and satinwood with East asian lacquer panels

This cabinet is stamped by Gillows. normally, such a mark could be taken to identify the manufacturers of the piece in question. However, Gillows’ records indicate that they retailed furniture sourced from other makers – as has clearly happened in this instance. This cabinet is Dutch and conforms to a number we have handled over the years, which very successfully combine satinwood with East Asian lacquer panels.

Holland Circa 1850Width 35¼" 89.5cmDepth 16" 41cmHeight 33½" 85cm

51705

a pair of red and gilt Decorated tole lamps

In the past there has been a tendency to attribute all red and gold tinware to France despite evidence that some items were made in Germany. On balance it seems likely that these lamps are French, but the subject requires further research. In any event, they are particularly attractive and the decoration is in very good condition.

French Circa 1810Diameter 9” 22.5cmHeight 23½” 60cm

51755


a regency period Console table

The superior quality of this console is evident in the particularly fine gallery and ormolu mounts. Interestingly, the columns are in rosewood, finished with ormolu capitals and bases, creating a very attractive contrast. It is far more common for these columns to be in ormolu throughout.

English Circa 1810Width 48" 122cm Depth 11" 28cm Height 37" 94cm

51649

82

a pair of george III Blue John Candlesticks

These candlesticks have ‘Van Dyke’ pans and nozzles, datable to the late eighteenth century, and exceptionally rare Blue John bases, which place these among the finest lustres of the period. The beauty and luminosity of Blue John have long been admired. In late eighteenth-century England, Matthew Boulton and his Soho Manufactory produced exceptional ormolu-mounted garnitures for the chimneypieces

of the most fashionable houses. The allure of Blue John has been sustained since his time, and it remains as sought-after now as ever.

English Circa 1790Height 12" 31cmDiameter 5" 12.5cm

51696


an Early george III mahogany Breakfront Bookcase

This superb bookcase, combining Rococo, Gothic, Chinese and Classical motifs, appears to be inspired by more than one design in Thomas Chippendale’s Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director. The overall form corresponds to a design for a ‘Library Bookcase’, plate 62 in the 1st edition of 1754 (reissued as plate 90 in the 3rd edition of 1762). Some of the details may be drawn from a design for a ‘China Case’ (plate 137 in the 3rd edition), notably the fretwork and the scalloped cornice of the base section.

A number of stylistic features suggest that this cabinet may possibly be by the Wakefield firm of Wright and Elwick, identified as ‘The Wentworth Cabinet Maker’ in Christie's catalogue of the sale from the Wentworth Collection, 8 July 1998. The most notable feature is its dependence on designs from the two editions of Thomas Chippendale's Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director, as detailed above.

A closely related bookcase, without doubt by the same maker, was part of the Leidesdorf Collection (sold Sotheby’s London, 27–28 June 1974, lot 78).

The present bookcase was once in the celebrated collection of Claude Rotch, handled by two major names in English furniture dealing, Ronald Lee and Hotspur, and published in The Dictionary of English Furniture, as well as in books and articles

by major writers and advisers on English furniture, including R. W. Symonds, H. Cescinsky and M. Jourdain.

It was also exhibited at the Grosvenor House Antiques Fair in 1987, and illustrated in the companion handbook.

English Circa 1765Width 91" 231.1cm Depth 26" 66cm Height 103" 261.6cm

LITERATURE

R. W. Symonds, The Present State of Old English Furniture (1921), fig. 99.H. Cescinsky, The Old World House (1924), p. 279M. Jourdain, ’Mr. C. D. Rotch's Collection of Furniture, Part I,’ Country Life, 7 June 1924, p. 237, fig.1.R. Edwards, The Dictionary of English Furniture, 2nd edn (1954), Vol. I, p. 87, fig. 24.The Magazine Antiques, October 1995 (trade advertisement for Hotspur Ltd.)

PROVEnAnCE

Claude D. Rotch, Esq., The Elms, Teddington, Surrey (before 1921)Exhibited by R.A. Lee Ltd. at the Grosvenor House Antiques Fair, 1987 (illustrated in the handbook, p.129)Hotspur Ltd. (1995)

51091

84


a pair of george III pontypool papier-mâché panels

Each panel has a central oval with a painted rustic scene, undoubtedly copied from engravings after fashionable paintings. The original source for one medallion has been identified as Thomas Barker’s Woodman and his Dog, which was engraved by Francesco Bartolozzi in 1792. Curiously, Barker himself came originally from Pontypool, although he spent his working life in Bath. There is no evidence that he had any direct connection with the Pontypool japanning industry, but his works may have been championed there out of pride in the town’s most notable son.

The source for the second medallion remains unidentified

The two panels must have been produced at some point between 1792 (the date of the Bartolozzi print) and about 1811 (after which the Pontypool japanning trade went into decline).

Welsh Circa 1800Width 21¼" 54cm Height 38½" 98cm

51722 Fig. 12

86

a nineteenth-Century lighthouse

This fantastic object was acquired for its obvious decorative and amusement value. Only after acquiring it did we discover that it is fully functioning electrically. not only does the light at the top turn around as it would on a working lighthouse, but all the windows down the column light up.

It is constructed of hundreds if not thousands of rectangular pieces of different woods, arranged in a decorative brickwork pattern, which must have been a distinctly time-consuming task.

As to the maker or country of origin of this possibly unique object, we have only the clue that the light itself was manufactured by the Carello Brothers, a family-run firm in Turin supplying lights to the automotive trade. We hope that the publication of this piece here may bring more information to light.

Width 16” 41cm Depth 16” 41cm Height 99” 252cm

51758


an unusual pair of george III tables

Each table has a writing slide in the central drawer and a cupboard below that does not open at the front, but instead is accessed by the curved doors at either side. These doors are opened by releasing a catch but may also be locked with a key. This placing of the doors makes it possible to sit at each table, with the writing slide out, without blocking access to the cupboard. This consideration also accounts for the curvature of the platform stretcher, which is shaped to accommodate a person’s legs.

English Circa 1790Width 35" 89cmDepth 15¾" 40cmHeight 30" 76cm

PROVEnAnCE

The Estate of Henry Luce III (Until 2008)

51066

88


a pair of george III gilt-Wood Wall Brackets

The high Rococo of the mid-eighteenth century is encapsulated in this pair of asymmetric brackets, finely and boldly carved with interlacing ‘C’ scrolls and foliage.

English Circa 1765Width 8½" 21.5cmDepth 6" 15cmHeight 13¾" 35cm

51698

Opposite:

a nest of tables otherwise known as Quartetto tables

Quartetto tables were novel and versatile objects in the Regency period, lending themselves to a variety of uses. Sheraton described their use for needlework in 1803, noting that they are ‘made to draw out of each other, and may be used separately, and again inclosed within each other when not wanted.’1 George Smith five years later designated them as for drawing rooms, where they ‘prevent the company rising from their seats, when taking refreshments.’2 These tables were part of the new range of

multi-functional furniture for which there was a heightened demand in this period, with the extension of fashionable living to the middle classes, occupying relatively confined spaces.

This is one of the finest sets of quartetto tables that we have handled, being of exceptional quality and finished with the greatest attention to detail. The reeded columns and peg feet are particularly attractive features.

English Circa 1800Width 22¼" 57cm Depth 11¼" 29cm Height 28¼" 72cm

REFEREnCE1 T. Sheraton, The Cabinet Dictionary (1803), p. 293.2 G. Smith, Household Furniture (1808), p.15

51709

90


gillows’ Imperial pattern Dining table

In 1804, the first ‘Imperial’ pattern dining table was illustrated in Gillows’ Estimate Sketch Book. It would become one of their most successful items, and by the late 1820s almost all the dining tables they sold were of this type.1 The genius of the table is the telescopic action. As Gillows explained, ‘the frame slides into the frame under each end and may be used at any size from the two ends to the fullest extent.’

On this example each leg may be unscrewed to allow the table to be packed away or easily transported, should the owner need to take it on 'campaign'.

English Circa 1804Length 124½" 316cmWidth 56" 142cmHeight 28½ " 72cm

REFEREnCE

S. Stuart, Gillows of Lancaster and London 1730–1840, 2 vols (2008), Vol. I, pp. 243–46.

Fig. 13 reproduced by kind permission of City of Westminster Archives Centre

51146

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Fig. 13


a george III Carved mahogany Commode possibly by philip Bell

This exceptional commode closely corresponds in its overall design to a published piece bearing the label of Philip Bell (Fig 14)1 – sharing the same low-slung form, with gently serpentine front and sides, canted front corners and large ogee bracket feet, fitted with four graduated drawers and a brushing slide, and picked out with robust carving in the same places. However, the detail of the carving differs on the labeled piece, the current whereabouts of which are unknown. Should it reappear, close physical

comparison of the two pieces might enable us to confirm our tentative attribution of the present commode to Bell.

Philip Bell was probably the son of Henry and Elizabeth Bell, whom he succeeded in the business established at the White Swan, St. Paul’s Churchyard. Interestingly, when he decided to update his trade card he employed Matthias Darly, the engraver responsible for many of the plates in Chippendale’s Director (Fig. 15).2

Fig. 14

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English Circa 1760Width 40” 101.5cmDepth 23¼” 59cm Height 32½” 82.5cm

PROVEnAnCE

Private collection, UK.

REFEREnCE1 G. Willis, English Furniture 1760–1900 (1971), pp. 66 (pl. 9), 106 and fig. 83; C. Gilbert, Pictorial Dictionary of Marked London Furniture 1700–1840 (1996), p. 94, fig. 89.2 G. Beard and C. Gilbert, Dictionary of English Furniture Makers 1660–1840 (1986), pp. 61, 62

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Fig. 15

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a pair of French Eighteenth Century ormolu and Blue John Candle Vases

This exquisite pair of vases are mounted with the finest chased ormolu, which still retains its original gilded finish. The Blue John is a wonderful colour and the striations of the stone on each vase are a perfect match. This is by no means typical.

French Circa 1780Width 5" 13cm Depth 3¼ " 8.5cm Height 8½ " 22cm

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Opposite:

a nineteenth-Century Bucket of Exceptional size

This extraordinarily large coopered oak bucket is also unusual in retaining its lid. Probably intended for wood or peat blocks, it could well have stood on a stone floor close to a suitably grand fire-place.

English Circa 1880Diameter 27" 69cm Height 42" 107cm

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a Chinese low table

The top of the table has been allowed to fade to a golden colour, which glows when the light catches it. Perfect for use as a bench at the end of a bed, for use as a coffee table or in a hallway, it has a dense timber that makes it eminently functional as well as attractive.

Chinese Early nineteenth-century.Width 43½" 110cm Height 19" 48.5cm Depth 15½" 39.5cm

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a pair of george II Carved mahogany armchairs

The curvaceous form of this pair of chairs puts them firmly in the Rococo period. They are beautifully shaped – with serpentine head-rail, out-swept arms and cabriole legs – and generously sized. The carving is crisp and the wood a golden colour.

English Circa 1750Width 27" 69cmDepth 28" 71.5cmHeight 38½" 95cm

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100


a pair of regency occasional tables

A very useful pair of tables of the Regency period which are light and quirky in design. Each table has a well-figured mahogany top supported on a turned ‘bee-hive’ column above three down-swept legs, which are fitted with brass mounts and brass ball feet.

English Circa 1810Width 16¾” 42.5cm Depth 16½” 42cm Height 29” 74cm

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Opposite:

a george II Burr Walnut Kneehole Desk

In the eighteenth century desks were described as 'buroes' or dressing-buroes. They were placed in bed-chambers or dressing-rooms and could be used both for dressing and writing.

This example has the most desirable attributes of furniture of this period. The top is quarter-veneered and edged with herring-bone and cross-banding, and the same two bandings are used on the drawer fronts. The fluted canted front corners are more typical of the chest-on-chest form, but unusual on a kneehole desk.1 This desk also retains its original feet and handles (elements that are more often than not replaced), and over time its surface has taken on a golden colour.

English Circa 1730Width 30½" 77cmDepth 20½" 52cmHeight 30" 76cm

PROVEnAnCE

Apter-Fredericks ltd, ChelseaThe Albrecht CollectionPrivate Collection, UK

1 Another desk with canted front corners is illustrated in R. Edwards, Dictionary of English Furniture, 3 vols (1954), Vol. III, p.244, fig.10.

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A Pair of Old Sheffield plated Carriage lamps

These exceptionally large carriage lamps were presumably made for a carriage of commensurate size and grandeur. now wired for electricity, they retain their original brackets and would look very impressive lighting an entrance hall or porch.

English, Circa 1850Height 36" 91.5cm

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a pair of nineteenth-Century Cannon from nanteos mansion

nanteos is one of the finest Georgian houses in Wales and home to the Powell family for over 250 years. The house has a marvellous claim to fame. It was supposed to be the resting place of the Holy Grail. The so-called nanteos Cup was reputed to have healing powers and, according to legend, was brought to England by Joseph of Arimathea when he settled in Glastonbury. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries, it was moved to Strata Florida Abbey near Tregarnon, until finding its way to nanteos close by.1 It is tempting to imagine that the cannon were intended to keep it safe.

The 24" bronze tapering five stage barrel has a loop cascabel and pull-hammer

mechanism. Marked 1 and 2 respectively, the two cannon are mounted on oak carriages with brass and iron fittings on wooden wheels, complete with elevation checks and tompions (tompions replaced).

Philip Magreth, Curator of Artillery at The Royal Armouries, Fort nelson, Fareham has remarked on the interesting choice of firing mechanism which is experimental and shows a pioneering taste.

English Circa 1840Length 24" 61cmWidth 14" 35.5cmHeight 13" 33cm

PROVEnAnCE

William Edward PowellNanteos Mansion, Aberystwyth, Cardiganshire.By Descent to Major & Mrs Mirylees (a distant relation of Edward Powell)Private collection from 1967.

REFEREnCE1 G. Morgan (ed.), Nanteos, A Welsh House & its Families (2001),

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a george III Wine Cooler of Impressive proportions

The design of this mahogany cistern or wine cooler is taken from Renaissance urns executed in bronze or marble, and these in turn were based on Roman marble originals. The classical allusion would have been obvious to the first owner of this cooler, and to his guests. The traditional form is nevertheless brought up to date with the use of carved Greek-revival motifs on the socle and the corrugations on the square plinth, which are all typical Regency features.

Wine cisterns were usually placed centrally beneath the sideboard, and the present

example would have demanded a sideboard of commensurate scale. The whole array would have been impressive to say the least.

English Circa 1810Width 33” 84cmDepth 23½” 60cm Height 26” 66cm

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a gilt-wood Eagle Console table attributed to William Bradshaw

Carved and gilt console tables in the form of an eagle with splayed wings were highly fashionable in grand neo-Palladian apartments of the second quarter of the eighteenth century, in both town and country houses. numerous variations survive, but the treatment of the present example, with fully splayed wings supporting the frieze, is relatively unusual. Most versions have half-spread wings with down-turned tips.

A pair of tables with splayed wings was supplied by William Bradshaw for the Tapestry Room at Chevening House in 1736, ‘2 Rich Carved and gilt Eagle Tables with Frames and Bracketts fixt in the Country’, £27 4s (Fig. 16).1 This difference apart, the present table has much in common with the Chevening pair, and it is highly likely that this table too comes from Bradshaw’s workshop. Among the shared features are the style of carving of the eagle itself (the body, feathers, head and talons); very

similar stylized console brackets at the sides; the gadrooning at the bottom of the frieze (which features in a slightly different form at the top of the frieze on the Chevening tables); and the flower-and-ribbon moulding at the bottom (recurring on a smaller scale at the bottom of the frieze on the Chevening tables). Like the present example, the Chevening tables are also carved in detail on the back face of each eagle – a remarkable treatment of a surface that would rarely be seen. The client for whom the present table was made has not been identified. Several prominent patrons of Bradshaw are recorded, however, including Frederick, Prince of Wales, to whom he supplied goods to the value of £1,312 in 1737 for a house in St James’s Square.2

This table was probably also made as one of a pair, with the eagles’ heads turned to face each other, as on the Chevening pair and numerous other examples. Such tables

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were more often than not made in pairs, but occasionally they were produced as singletons, the head nevertheless facing sideways. The Edinburgh wright (or joiner) Francis Brodie, whose billhead features an eagle table of this type, supplied single examples on at least three occasions between 1738 and 1753 – to the Duke of Hamilton, the Duke of Gordon and the Earl of Dumfries.3 A single eagle table was also delivered by the London firm of Bell & Moore, in 1734, to the Solicitor-General (and later Chief Justice) Dudley Ryder, almost certainly for the hall of his house in Chancery Lane.4 Described as ‘an Eagle frame & Top Carved and Guilded in burnished gold’, it evidently had a carved and gilt top rather than a marble slab. It does not survive, so we do not know whether the eagle head faced sideways or forwards, like those on an early pair of eagle tables at Badminton House (which likewise have carved and gilt tops).5

English Circa 1735–40 Height 36” 91.5cm Width 52” 132cmDepth 27” 68.5cm

REFEREnCE 1 Kent Record Office: U 1590, A20a. See H. Avray Tipping, ‘Chevening – II. Kent, the seat of Earl Stanhope’, Country Life, 24 April 1920, pp. 548–56 (p. 552, fig. 7).2 G. Beard and C. Gilbert (eds), Dictionary of English Furniture Makers 1660—1840 (1986), p. 100. The Prince of Wales accounts are in the Duchy of Cornwall Record Office.3 S. Pryke, ‘The extraordinary billhead of Francis Brodie’, Regional Furniture, Vol. 4 (1990), pp.81—99 (p.86 and fig.12, the Dumfries table of 1753). The Hamilton table may be one now in the Royal Collection at Holyroodhouse (RCIN 28203; see http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/28203/table). But see also Francis Bamford, A Dictionary of Edinburgh Wrights and Furniture Makers 1660—1840, Furniture History, Vol.19 (1983), p.46. Bamford attributes another set of tables to Brodie on the analogy with the Holyrood table, but the stylistic resemblance is fairly generic (ibid., pl. 24B).4 Harrowby Manuscripts, Sandon, Vol. 456, Penates A – General, 5A Furniture – 1962. The table cost £12 and was supplied with a protective leather cover at 6 shillings. See also

Lucy Wood, The Upholstered Furniture in the Lady Lever Art Gallery (2008), Vol. I, pp. 296–99 and notes 22, 23 and 34. 5 The Badminton tables were reportedly supplied by John Phillips in 1731 for £40; see A. Bowett, Early Georgian Furniture 1715—1750 (2009), p.228 and n.56, pl.5:55 (reference not cited but probably Badminton Muniments, D2700/QJ3/3).6 A. Oswald, ‘Hall Place – II, Maidenhead, Berkshire, the seat of Lady Clayton East’, Country Life, 12 March 1938, pp.272–77 (pp. 273–74, figs 3 and 5); later at Christie’s, London, 23 May 1968, lot 124, ill. (the property of the Lady Anne Tree, removed from Mereworth, Kent).7 J. Cornforth, ‘Ditchley Park, Oxfordshire – II’, Country Life, 24 November 1988, pp. 82–85 (p.82, fig.1, the White Drawing Room); Ditchley Park, Oxfordshire, Official Guide (1995), pp.16–17.

Fig. 14 With thanks to the Chevening Trustees for permission to reproduce an image of one of the pair of tables from the Tapestry Room.

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Fig. 16

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a george II Walnut & parcel-gilt mirror

This type of mirror was known in the 1730's as a 'tabernacle' mirror, a term that originally referred to architectural niches in which to place a statue. As remarked by Adam Bowett, 'the figure of the deity was replaced by that of the viewer, seemingly without any sense of irony.'

This example is veneered in the more expensive burr walnut, selected for its highly figured grain which was and is still highly prized, and is now a golden colour.

The proportions of this mirror are also noteworthy, for the ratio between height and width and mirror plate to frame are well balanced. The shape of the 'swan-neck' pediment is also well drawn.

English Circa 1740Width 31" 79cmHeight 59" 149cm

REFEREnCE1 A. Bowett, Early Georgian Furniture 1715-1740 (2009), pp. 294–95; see also ibid., plate 6:63 (a similar mirror from Apter-Fredericks’ archive).

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acknowledgements

Daniel Brooke for photography

Jason Hopper from District-6.com for the design and production of this brochure

Adam Bowett for his assistance

Phillip Shepherd for all his extra hours

© 2013 Apter-Fredericks Ltd.

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265-267 Fulham Road, London SW3 6HY, United KingdomTel: +44 20 7352 2188 Fax: +44 20 7376 5619 Email: [email protected]

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Apter-Fredericks 2013 Brochure