Mallett

Page 1


141 New Bond Street London W1S 2BS 929 Madison Avenue at 74th Street New York 10021



LONDON

MALLETT

NEW YORK

Over the last twelve months, the world has seen unprecedented changes of prices and values in all markets, both national and international. Whether stocks and shares, property or commodities, the volatility has surprised even the most experienced professionals. This has been no different for the art market, where both volume and prices have been considerably reduced, particularly during the last quarter of 2008, and the early trading period of the new year. Yet, recently, the extraordinary news from both of the major auction houses illustrates a different story, with frenzied crowds creating record prices, even for pieces acquired within recent memory. The sales of the Versace and Yves St. Laurent collections obtained astonishing prices across all disciplines, achieving more than 4 and 5 times the presale estimates respectively. The Yves St. Laurent collection has become the largest grossing single owner sale in history. Many of the most sought after pieces in both sales were works of decorative art, and not only the traditionally highly prized paintings. This excitement and enthusiasm in the art market has not been confined solely to the fully exploited marketing employed by the auction houses. It is something we have recently experienced at the dealers’ great showcase in Maastricht. Here, enormous sums were achieved and quantities of sales were confirmed to a collecting public, driven at speed towards acquiring tangible assets, that are being seen as realistic in value and a safe haven for astute collectors. The Mallett stand at this fair had more visitors in the first two days than at any earlier exhibition, and the sales achieved far exceeded expectations. I am very pleased to offer in this catalogue, furniture and objects that have always been considered ‘best in class’. We are now even more focused on giving you, our clients, good value when you purchase from us, while remaining equally committed to our traditional philosophy of living with items of beauty.

Giles Hutchinson Smith Chief Executive


LONDON

4

A GEORGE III MAHOGANY SECRETAIRE PRESS An important George III mahogany secretaire press by Gillows of Lancaster. The upper part is fitted with trays of cedar wood, the secretaire desk drawer fitted with pigeonholes and further small drawers and secret vertical drawers carved with blind fret. These flank a central cupboard or ‘prospect’ decorated with quartered feather veneers that slides out revealing further secret compartments at the rear, the base section consisting of two short and one long drawer. The two doors having centrematched veneers of the finest quality and applied carved mouldings, the cornice finished with carved blind fret, resting on ogee bracket feet. The brass handles, drops and escutcheons with peacock design all original. England, circa 1765 Height: 901/2 in (230cm) Width: 561/2 in (143cm) Depth: 28in (71cm) PROVENANCE

Made for John France Jn. of Rawcliffe Hall, Lancashire

MALLETT

The secretaire press was recently revealed in Susan Stuart’s extensive monograph on the history of the Gillows firm, active from 1730-1840. This firm has come out from the shadows in the last two decades. Thanks to numerous articles and Lindsay Boynton’s book of Gillows Designs, along with Susan Stuart’s new book, we now appreciate the vast scale of their production and their long and distinguished history. The family firm was established in Lancaster as early as the 1730’s. Throughout the eighteenth century, a succession of Robert and Richard Gillows worked for and controlled the firm. Their success really began in 1769, when they opened their first London office. Noble commissions came and in 1800, Richard Gillows took over a patent for an extending dining table which further enhanced the firm’s reputation. The history of Gillows is exceptionally complete, as nearly all the order books and salesman’s archives still exist. We know that the practice of stamping GILLOWS. LANCASTER started in around 1780 and continued until 1817.

NEW YORK

Today, it is difficult to comprehend the range of Gillows’ business at this time. They traded not only in finished furniture, but also in timber from the West Indies along with sugar and spirits from the same region. They undertook architectural joinery and fitted out entire buildings, providing wall papers, fixtures and fittings. Their salesmen toured the country with books of illustrations lavishly coloured to tempt buyers. Gilllows even pioneered ‘flat-packing’ in order to offer their clients a reduced price. There was no corner of the furniture trade they did not thoroughly exploit. Between 1780 and 1830, they were the furniture trade, leading in price, fashion and even work practices. Interestingly, the discovery of this piece also allowed Mallett to attribute with security to Gillows firm a very fine mahogany bureau bookcase from our stock, illustrated in Mallett’s Spring catalogue of 2008. The similarities, both stylistically and in terms of construction, are obvious being the flamed mahogany veneers with the same applied serpentine shaped

mouldings, same blind Chinese fretwork and the ogee feet the more blatant features. F2I0609


5


6


LONDON

MALLETT

NEW YORK

7

A GEORGE II ARMCHAIR A George II giltwood library armchair being carved throughout with acanthus leaf and scroll motifs, the elaborate apron centred by a shell, the seat raised on cabriole legs with further acanthus motifs and ending in scroll toes, the padded back and seat now upholstered with green silk damask. England, circa 1755 Height: 361/2 in (93cm) Height of seat: 15in (39cm) Width: 271/2 in (70cm) Depth: 28in (71cm)

One of the aspects of Mallett’s business that makes us particularly proud is the fact that we often get the opportunity to offer things we have owned in the past. This fine armchair is an example of this. See the advertisement on the right from Country Life from 1962. F2A0541

A PAIR OF GEORGE II DOLPHIN TABLES A pair of George II giltwood side tables, each with its original marble top above a moulded frieze carved with a stylized leaf and dart repeat. The tops supported on pairs of addorsed dolphins flanking large scallop shells. The inverted breakfront plinths are carved with a variation of the leaf and dart motif on the frieze. England, 1735 Width: 41in (104 cm) Depth: 22in (55 cm) Diameter: 33in (83cm)

William Kent’s role in introducing and popularizing the motif of paired dolphins with scallop shells seems indisputable, and no comparable designs survive by any other contemporary English artist. Moreover, the two artisans associated with the production of carved dolphin designs, James Richards and Benjamin Goodison, both had direct links with Kent and Burlington, which again points to Kent as the common source. Although, on the evidence currently available, the maker of these tables cannot be firmly identified, the present tables bear clear similarities with Kent’s designs, James Richards’s documented work and critically, the quality of Richards’s work. F2J0015


8


9


10


LONDON

A GEORGE III SHAGREEN TELESCOPE A late 18th century gilt brass and shagreen cased four inch reflecting telescope, signed ‘Dolland London’ by the eye piece, with a slow motion screw on the adjustable shagreen cased barrel, supported on a turned brass column with folding tripod legs. England, circa 1780 Height: 141/2in (36cm) Length: 17in (44cm) F2H0152

MALLETT

A FINE PAIR OF GEORGE III PAINTED BERGÈRES An important pair of George III painted bergères armchairs in the French Louis XV style, after designs by Thomas Chippendale, the tub-shaped backrests carved with neo-classical decoration including paterae and husks, having moulded armrests finishing in scroll supports, standing on fluted, tapering legs with leaf carving. England, circa 1775 Height: 381/2 in (98cm) Height of seat: 20in (50cm) Width: 271/2 in (70cm) Depth: 191/2 in (50cm) PROVENANCE

Moccas Court, Herefordshire

These important bergères, retaining much of their original painted decoration, were almost certainly supplied by Thomas Chippendale to Sir George (Amyand) Cornewall for Moccas Court, Herefordshire. The Cornewalls were neighbours of the banker John Martin who had commissioned Thomas Chippendale to supply furniture for his nearby house, Ham Court, including a library table formerly in the collection of Edmond Safra (Sotheby’s sale - HSBC’s Corporate Art Collection, 21 October, 2004, lot 34.) It is certainly possible that the

NEW YORK

present bergères were supplied by Chippendale as they share affinities with his known oeuvre. A pair of bergères from the Great Drawing Room at Burton Constable in Yorkshire is illustrated, C. Gilbert, The Antiques Magazine, ‘Chippendale’s patron in Yorkshire’, pp. 322-3, pl. XVII. Although more elaborate than the present bergères, they have tub-shaped backrests centered by carved decoration and continuing to moulded armrests finished in scrolled supports. The leaf-carved fluted legs with reeded ball feet are similar to a pair of bergères supplied by Chippendale for the drawing room at David Garrick’s house in Royal Adelphi Terrace, C. Gilbert, The Life and Work of Thomas Chippendale, 1978, vol. II, p. 98, fig. 160. Moccas Court was designed by the architect Anthony Keck (1726-1797) for Sir George (Amyand) Cornewall Bt. who married the heiress Catherine Cornewall in 1771. The Cornewalls were an ancient Herefordshire family and her father’s will stipulated that his daughter’s husband adopt the family name and arms of Cornewall. The Amyands were Protestant refugees after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 and Sir George was wealthy in his own right, having inherited property in England and the West Indies,

as well as a fortune of £158,000. Sir George had originally commissioned the Adam brothers in 1775 to design the house but instead used Anthony Keck, who completed the house in 1783. Keck had an extensive practice in the West Midlands, appearing to have been the leading architect in the counties of Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire from 1770-1790. His most prestigious country house projects were at Moccas Court, Herefordshire, Penrice Abbey, Glamorgan and the orangery at Margam Abbey in the same county. As Nicholas Kingsley, Country Life, ‘Modelling in the Provinces, the Work of Anthony Keck’, October 20 and 27, 1988, p. 140, remarks ‘Within his houses, he relied on the proportion and shape of rooms and on exquisitely under-stated Adamesque decoration, to create an abiding and almost Regency elegance’, continuing that he ‘was remarkably quick not only to copy the Adam manner, but to establish a simplified version of it which suited both the lower temperature of his own architecture and the shallower pockets of his provincial clients’. LITERATURE

Lanto Synge, Great English Furniture, (Barrie & Jenkins, 1991, London), pp. 162 and 164 F2I0318

11


12


13


14

A DEMI-LUNE CONSOLE JARDINIERE An unusual, small-sized Empire mahogany side table, standing on four columnar legs, with a mirror back plate and a white marble top. The legs are supported at the base with stretchers in star form and they contain a shelf as a jardinière. The mirror back plate can be raised. The whole piece is enriched with fine quality ormolu mounts; the larger panels of neoclassical charioteers with cupids and the smaller figures representing a young couple in gardening pursuits. France, circa 1810 Height: 45in (113.5cm) Width: 21in (53.5cm) Depth: 14in (36cm) PROVENANCE 'By repute Eugène Rose de Beauharnais'

Eugène Rose de Beauharnais was the first child and only son of the future French emperor Napoleon's first wife, Joséphine Tascher de la Pagerie and Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais. F2H0107


LONDON

A SILVER EPERGNE OF PAGODA FORM A fine architectural six branch epergne of pagoda form with seven glass baskets, the finial cast as a classical figure. Made by Joseph Preedy of London in 1802. Some glass dishes replaced. England, circa 1802 Height: 26in (66cm) Width: 34in (86cm) Depth: 30in (77cm)

MALLETT

Son of the Rev. Benjamin Preedy of St. Albans in the County of Hertford, Joseph Preedy was apprenticed to Thomas Whipham 2 October 1765 and turned over 9 June 1766 to William Plummer of Gutter Lane who was a goldsmith and cloth-worker. His first mark as a plate-worker is dated 3 February 1777 from Westmoreland Buildings, Aldersgate Street. His second mark was identified in partnership with William Pitts on 11 January 1791 from the

NEW YORK

following address: Litchfield Street, St. Ann’s, 3 August 1795. The partnership was apparently dissolved by 21 December 1799 when Pitts entered a single mark. Heal records all the above addresses and dates, and also Preedy alone in Litchfield Street in 1791, the year of the commencement of the partnership with Pitts. O2I0674

15


LONDON

16

MALLETT

NEW YORK


LONDON

MALLETT

NEW YORK

17

AN EMPIRE COMMODE A fine quality Empire four drawer commode. Each face is veneered in richly figured flame mahogany and the sides are flanked by boldly carved bowing swan pilasters and at the back finely carved square columns. The commode retains its original gilt bronze handles and escutcheons. With replaced marble top. Attributed to Bellangé. France, circa 1810 Height: 36in (92cm) Width: 53in (135cm) Depth: 22in (56cm)

Pierre Bellangé was born in 1758 and became a ‘maitre menuisier’ in 1788. He managed to survive successfully and even flourish through the turbulent times of the end of the ‘ancien regime’ through the Revolution and the Empire to end his days in the exalted position of being ‘ebeniste du Roi’ to LouisPhilippe in 1844. Throughout his career his work was always sought after and he seems to have enjoyed a life free from the usual turmoil of bankruptcy or worse that afflicted most of his generation. With immaculate timing he moved into ‘ebenisterie’ when merely being a ‘menuisier’ did not suffice and he made partnerships with equal skill. If we look back on his career we see that he held a position amongst the front ranks of those who fashioned the decorative arts of the early 19th century. Bellangé worked for the Imperial household as well as

for the Restoration monarchy, when he furnished Château Saint-Ouen for Madame du Cayla, Louis XVIII’s mistress. His most famous commission came from the President James Monroe, for a suite of furniture for the White House, which part is still in loco in the Blue Room. Pieces by Bellangé can be viewed at Versailles, Museum Marmottan and Chateau de Compiègne National Museum. The attribution of this commode to Bellangé is based on the use of the swan motif which the ébeniste so often employed and which was a personal emblem of Joséphine de Beauharnais, Napoleon’s first wife. The use of dense grain of mahogany and the strong sharp carving are also common features throughout his career and which are well exemplified in this unstamped commode. F2I0543


LONDON

18

MALLETT

NEW YORK


LONDON

MALLETT

NEW YORK

19

J. STEVEN DEWS (BORN 1949)

The Fife Regatta on the Clyde Signed bottom left Painted in June 1998 Oil on canvas Unframed: 40 x 60in (101.5 x 152.5cm) Framed: 461/2 x 66in (118 x 167.6cm)

Steven Dews is probably England’s most respected contemporary marine artist. He was born in Beverley, North Humberside, in 1949 and his formal training was taken in the north of England. Dews’ work is meticulous in its detail and observation of the natural surroundings and this perception and understanding has developed through his personal love of sailing and the sea. His reputation has grown rapidly over the past few years, mainly through the work he has undertaken as the official artist of many of the world’s major yachting events. His work has an international appeal and he has received many commissions throughout the world including those from large corporations such as BP and Amoco. So great is the demand for his commission works in fact that at present there is a three year waiting list. As a result of this waiting list and the slow speed at which Dews works, relatively few of his original works are currently available on the open market. This outstanding painting of the Fife Regatta conveys the majesty of the golden age of sail. The regatta was held on the Clyde in June 1998 and was the largest gathering of the yachts designed by the William Fife Yard. Twelve yachts took part including Moonbeam (seen in

the foreground of this painting), an 82 foot yawl built for Mr C. Johnson in 1903. Her interesting life included French ownership prior to the First World War during which she was rumoured to have been used by the French Resistance. After the war she had a brief period of being laid up prior to being put into service as a charter yacht following an extensive re-fit. Her ownership changed in the mid-1980’s and she is now Norwegian owned. Passing astern of Moonbeam is Kentra. Built as a cruising yacht for Kenneth Clark of Acharacle in 1923, she had an overall length of 100 feet and was of solid construction with a high level of fittings below decks suitable for gentleman’s cruising. Her first season was spent cruising the west coast of Scotland, after which she was sold to Charles Livingstone whose family owned the Cunard Shipping Line. Her later history involved many changes of ownership where she has served as a trusted charter yacht in many parts of the world. The oldest of the yachts at the regatta was Vagrant, a small two ton racing yacht 18 feet on the waterline. Built in 1884 for Thomas Trocke to race in Dublin Bay, she was a perfect example of ‘plank on edge’ design greatly over canvassed with an overall length of 22 feet, only five feet wide and with a 15 foot

bowsprit. This type of yacht soon became obsolete and the Dublin Bay class ceased racing. Vagrant remained in Irish waters, eventually being laid up near Dun Laoghaire. In 1979 Hal Sisk, Chairman of the National Maritime Museum of Ireland, discovered her and undertook painstaking restoration at the Jack Tyrell Yard at Arklow (the same yard that built Gipsy Moth for Sir Francis Chichester). To celebrate her 100th birthday, she was sailed back across the Irish Sea where she joined the fleet of the preserved boat at the Scottish Maritime Museum. The History of the Fife Yard and the yachts they created serves to document the rise of yachting as a royal sport. The Industrial Revolution brought about a population with greater leisure time and vastly increased wealth. With this wealth came a desire to move out of the smogfilled cities, and numerous villas sprang up along the shores of the Clyde estuary for use in the summer months. Time spent in these villas encouraged the wealthy to take to the water and yachting soon became a passion of many of the great industrialists: with this came the development of smart clubs with active racing. P2H0559


20


LONDON

AN UNUSUAL OCCASIONAL TABLE A Charles X rosewood occasional table of square shape, the top inlaid with a running border of leaves, the frieze having four drawers with turned ivory knobs and boxwood stringing, the central section with elegant turned columns and Gothic arches supported by a pierced base with trefoils and cusps, standing on gilt-slippered feet with original castors. Attributed to A. Giroux et Cie France, circa 1825 Height: 29in (74cm) Width: 251/2in (65cm) Depth: 251/2in (65cm)

A GLASS MODEL OF A SHIP IN A DOME A good example of a lamp-work glass boat made out of green, white and clear thin glass rods. The main ship has three masts and six blue and white glass sailors in the rigging. The ship has suspended from its sides three lifeboats. Before the main ship are two small luggers in turquoise, white and clear with red sails. England, circa 1880 Height: 18in (46cm) Width: 25in (63cm) Depth: 101/2in (27cm) O2F0126

MALLETT

Gothic buildings were a major source of inspiration for 19th Century designers, who adapted key architectural elements to furniture design. This is evident here in the pointed arches of the table’s central section, and the delicate leaf tracery on the table top. The gilt-slippered feet are extremely unusual, clearly drawing upon Middle Eastern influences. A. Giroux et Cie. was a famous Parisian magasin located at number 7, rue de Coq-Saint Honoré, being active from Consulat period until the end of the Second Empire. FrancoisSimon-Alphonse Giroux started and ran this business from 1799, which sold curious pieces

NEW YORK

for gifts, objets d’art but also drawings, pictures and prints. His two sons, Alphonse-Gustave and Andre, soon joined him and they continued the business after the founder’s retirement in 1838. A. Giroux et Cie. was mainly a retailer but they had their own workshops where they made some of their objects and furniture. Other products were made elsewhere following their original designs. In 1827 they published Catalogue de l’exposition d’une varieté d’objets utiles et agréables offerts pour les étrennes - a catalogue of objects to be given as gifts for Christmas. From the Giroux catalogues, such as this one, Louis XVIII and Charles X would

choose gifts for the young Princes, Princess Louise and the Duc de Bordeaux. A Giroux labelled rosewood worked box with marquetry decoration and with a related four post structure and similar gilt-slippered feet is illustrated in Ledoux-Lebard, Denise – Le Mobilier Francais du XIXe Siécle, (Paris, L’Editions d’Amateur, 1984), page 227. F2I0575

21


LONDON

22

A LEMON SQUEEZER AND SODA STAND An unusual Edwardian novelty silver-plate lemon squeezer and soda stand by Hukin And Heath, stamped with maker's marks and registration number, the central stylised lemon is supported by entwined rods that transform into supports for both further lemons, swizzle sticks and period soda bottles, the whole is supported on a circular plinth with a central recess for a glass. England, circa 1900 Height: 12in (30cm) Diameter: 91/2 in (24cm) The design for this lemon squeezer was first registered in 1887 by Hukin and Heath, manufacturing silversmiths and electroplaters first established in Birmingham. Jonathan Wilson Hukin and John Thomas Heath

MALLETT

entered their first marks in London in 1879 giving the firm's addresses as Imperial Works, Great Charles Street, Birmingham, and 19 Charterhouse Street, London. Hukin retired in 1881 but the firm continued as Hukin and Heath with J.T. Heath in partnership with John Hartshorne and in 1904 it became a limited liability company. Hukin and Heath are best known for their silver and plated goods produced in the 1870's and 1880's, many of which were made to the designs of Dr. Christopher Dresser. They also made many other unusual domestic items such as monkey cruet stands and wares mounted in elephant tusks. They encouraged young designers such as Benjamin Creswick and, in the 1920's and 1930's, Arthur Edward Harvey. O2I0556

NEW YORK

JOHN MANSFIELD CREALOCK (1871-1959) The Yellow Sofa Oil on canvas Unframed: 511/2 x 381/2in (130.8 x 97.2cm) Framed: 601/2 x 47in (153 x 119.4cm) Signed and dated ‘John Crealock 1912’ (lower right) and further signed and dated ‘John Crealock/1912’ (on the reverse). signed, inscribed and dated ‘R.H.A. Dublin 1914/no.1 ‘The Yellow Sofa’/John Crealock/24 Beaufort Mansions/Chelsea’ (on an old label on the reverse) PROVENANCE with Dicksee and Co., Liverpool, 1912. Private Collection, UK. EXHIBITED London, Royal Academy, 1912, no. 98. Dublin, Royal Hibernian Academy, 1914, no. 1.

Major John Mansfield Crealock was educated at Sandhurst and served in the Boer War as a Lieutenant in the Imperial Yeomanry before travelling to Paris to study at the Académie Julian from 1901-4. Crealock’s method of entitling his portraits of elegant women in luxurious interiors according to their colour arrangement as opposed to the names of the sitters was practised by Whistler in the second half of the 19th century. This painting, The Yellow Sofa, was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1912 (no. 98) along with The Red Sofa (no. 92). In 1920 he exhibited The Purple Sofa at the RA. Crealock was elected member of the Royal Portrait Society in 1917/18, having exhibited there since 1908. P2I0697


LONDON

MALLETT

NEW YORK

23


24


LONDON

MALLETT

NEW YORK

25

A PAINTED OPEN BOOKCASE An early 19th century painted open bookcase decorated throughout with carved mouldings simulating bamboo, the cresting is enriched with a painted frieze decorated with a border of gilt quatrefoils. The paintwork is in excellent original condition. England, circa 1840 Height: 61in (155cm) Width: 39in (99cm) Depth: 13in (33cm) F2I0511

A CARVED MOTHEROF-PEARL TEA CADDY A rare mid 18th century silver mounted mother-of-pearl casket, finely carved throughout with flowers and leaves, with pierced silver carrying handle, hinges and lock escutcheon and raised on silver claw and ball feet, containing three rococo chinoiserie repousse silver tea caddies with lids, the interior retaining its original red velvet lining. Hallmarks: S. Herbert & Co, London 1760-1. China, circa 1760 Height: 7in (18cm) Width: 12in (30cm) Depth: 61/2in (16.5cm) LITERATURE

A similar example is illustrated in Masterpieces of English Furniture: The Gerstenfeld Collection, Art Books International, London, 1998, catalogue no. 117, p. 251. O2I0622

ě‘Ż

A PAIR OF WINDOW SEATS A very fine pair of George III giltwood window seats in the French manner, with scroll arm supports and moulded Serpentine frame standing on elegant cabriole legs with scroll feet, now upholstered in champagne coloured silk. England, circa 1775 Height: 241/2in (62.5cm) Height of seat: 16in 41cm Width: 421/2in (108cm) Depth: 18in (45cm) F2I0340


26


27


LONDON

28

A JACKSON & GRAHAM DAVENPORT A highly unusual late Victorian ivory strung ebony Davenport. The top is enriched with a pierced gallery with ivory balustrades. The cover opens to reveal a lavish yew wood interior with cedar lined drawers and pigeon holes. There is also a sliding bolt which releases an articulated pen drawer on the outside. The desk stands on ivory strung ebony columns with carved foliate enrichments. England, circa 1870 Height: 32in (82cm) Width: 23in (58 cm) Depth: 23in (58cm)

MALLETT

This famous firm, Jackson & Graham, is described by Clive Edwards in his article for the Furniture History Society thus: ‘In the pantheon of Victorian furnishing enterprises, few names are more important than Jackson & Graham’. Charlotte Gere and Michael Whiteway describe Jackson & Graham in their work Nineteenth Century Design as ‘probably the most Important High Victorian Cabinet-making firm’. With academe clamoring to lavish praise of such high degree on this company’s head, why is it that almost no one has heard of them? The truth is that the endeavors of the nineteenth century cabinet makers are still undervalued. The advent of the mechanical age and the lush over elaboration of the epoch

NEW YORK

combine to seemingly render the whole Victorian era second rate. The mistake this idea represents is only now coming to light. Indeed Jackson & Graham celebrated this same mechanization. They delighted in the fact that their machines afforded them the opportunity to execute a sophistication of marquetry that mere hand work could never have achieved. It is true that Jackson & Graham were elaborate in their confections, but the sophistication therein contained rendered their work superior to all but a few. The firm was active between 1836 and 1885. They had premises in Oxford Street, which gradually expanded until they controlled six buildings on the same street. They were great exhibitors at fairs and like other

cabinet makers of the age, they employed fashionable designers and architects to enhance their work. Amongst these, Jackson and Graham employed Dr Christopher Dresser and Bruce Talbert. However, the longest and closest affiliate was Owen Jones. He was central to the work carried out for Alfred Morrison at 16 Carlton House Terrace and Fonthill, Wiltshire. Pieces made for Morrison were shown at exhibitions around Europe and Owen Jones’ style defines the Jackson & Graham look. The firm gradually moved into decline through a mixture of internal strife and external trading conditions, finally, being bought out by their rivals, Collinson & Lock in 1885. F2I0473


29


LONDON

30

MALLETT

NEW YORK

A GEORGE II WALNUT WING CHAIR A large scale George II walnut Wing Chair having cabriole legs, carved at the knee with a scallop shell, flanked by "C" scrolls, terminating in a ball and claw foot and having sabre chamfered back legs. England, circa 1725 Height: 49in (124.5 cm) Height of seat: 20in (51cm) Width: 34in (86.5 cm) Depth of seat: 31in (79 cm) F2I0596

A ‘PALAIS ROYAL’ CLOCK A 19th century ‘Palais Royal’ clock. The rectangular mother of pearl case with ormolu mounts and a neo-gothic dome cresting, surmounted by ribbed finials at the corners and apex of the cresting. The circular shaped gilt dial has Roman numerals and machined decoration. A convex glass window to the rear shows the finely worked movement and backplate. The clock rests on ormolu claw feet. France, circa 1825 Height: 61/2in (16.5cm) Width: 31/2in (9cm) Depth: 11/2in (4cm) O2H0613


31


32


LONDON

MALLETT

NEW YORK

33

A PAIR OF BRONZE AND ORMOLU WALL APPLIQUES A pair of Charles X five candle bronze and ormolu wall appliques. Each has five foliate scroll supports, with gilt socles, issuing from an ormolu ring which attaches to a bronze and gilt foliate wall support. France, circa 1830 Height: 8in (20cm) Diameter: 12in (30cm) L2I0560

A PAIR OF GEORGE III PIER TABLES A rare pair of demi-lune satinwood marquetry toped giltwood side tables. Each top is fashioned as a radiating fan of satinwood with a shell at the centre. The tops are supported by a fluted frieze, standing on reeded legs, entwined with honeysuckle swags. The legs are joined by a fluted stretcher. Each with a black-stencilled number 39651 to reverse of rail. England, circa 1790 Height: 331/2in (85cm) Width: 52in (131.5cm) Depth: 21in (52.5cm)

PROVENANCE

The Collection of Joseph W. Harriman Sold, Plaza Art Auction Galleries Inc., New York, 15-17 November, 1934, lot 334 French & Company, New York

Conceived in the French Neoclassical style popularized in the 1780s by the architect Henry Holland and the Francophile circle of the Prince of Wales, later George IV, these elegant pier tables are of the type described by Thomas Sheraton in The Appendix to The CabinetMaker and Upholsterer's Drawing-Book, 1793: ‘As pier

tables are merely for ornament under a glass, they are generally made very light, and the style of finishing them is rich and elegant. Sometimes the tops are solid marble, but most commonly veneered in rich satin, or other valuable wood, with a cross-band on the outside, a border about two inches richly japanned, and a narrow crossband beyond it, to go all around. The frames are commonly gold, or white and burnished gold. Stretching-rails have of late been introduced to these tables, and it must be owned that it is with good effect, as they take off the long appearance of the legs, and make the under part appear

more finished.’ Helena Hayward described a pair of tables of related form in The Connoisseur, June 1967, with painted satinwood tops and giltwood bases, sold in Sotheby’s, New York, 19-20 April, 2001, lot 544, as ‘produced at a moment in the history of English furniture when elegance of design was combined with a refined sense of colour and a keen appreciation of sophistication in ornament.’ F2I0319


34


35


36


LONDON

A PAIR OF IRISH TORCHÈRES A pair of Irish Regency candlestands, with simulated verde antico tops above a parcel-gilt tripod, with gilt cast iron rams heads and claw feet, with wooden X frame supports and a cast iron stretcher. Ireland, circa 1810 Height: 38in (96cm) Diameter: 14in (35cm)

The torchères relate broadly to a design by Charles Percier (1764-1838) for a gueridon commissioned from JacobDesmalter in 1809 for the bed chamber of Empress Josephine at Fontainebleau. The design displays the same tripod base with cross stretchers although the Fontainebleau gueridons were executed in ormolu, rather than giltwood. A related torchère is illustrated in H Cescinsky, English Furniture of the Eighteenth Century, London, Vol. III, p19, fig. 5 and another is in the Sultana Room, Attingham Park, Shropshire. A similar pair of torchères were sold Christie’s Dealing in Excellence: A Celebration of Hotspur and Jeremy, 20 November 2008, lot 37 F2I0286

A PAIR OF GILT BRONZE GEESE A pair of late nineteenth century naturalistically modelled bronze geese, each standing in life like form with head raised upwards with gilt enrichments. China, circa 1880 Height: 15in (38cm) Width: 15in (38cm) Depth: 71/2in (19cm) O2I0380

MALLETT

NEW YORK

A PAIR OF GEORGE I WALNUT SIDE CHAIRS An extremely fine and rare pair of early 18th century George I walnut side chairs, the arched padded backs and bowed seats covered with period gros point needlework, the red ground with blue, yellow and green lily pads, all supported on cabriole legs flanked by ‘C’ scrolls and terminating in pad feet. England, circa 1725 Height: 391/2in (100cm) Height of seat: 17in (43cm) Width: 23in (58cm) Depth: 25in (63cm) F2I0589 LITERATURE

Lanto Synge, Great English Furniture, (Barrie & Jenkins, 1991, London), p46-47

37


38


39 39


LONDON

40

MALLETT

NEW YORK


LONDON

MALLETT

NEW YORK

A COROMANDEL WOOD DRESSING CASE BY BETJEMAN A Coromandel wood dressing case with silver plated brass banding, the interior fitted with fourteen polished sterling silver and hobnail cut crystal container and three mirrors, all housed in a fitted tooled leather and velvet interior. The sterling fittings bear hallmarks for 1877 and the large mirror is signed Royal Warrant Holder Jenner & Knewstub of 33 St. James’s Street, London. England, circa 1877 Height: 111/2in (29cm) Width: 16in (40.5cm) Depth: 12in (31cm) O2H0449

41


42


LONDON

A GEORGE III MAHOGANY PIE CRUST TABLE A very fine and rare Chippendale period mahogany circular tripod table, the tilt-top of excellent colour and with finely carved pie crust border, on a classical column where the upper part is fluted and the base is carved with acanthus and egg-and-dart, raised on an arched tripod base, the supports carved at the knees with stylised acanthus and pendant harebells and ending in attenuated claw and ball feet fitted with brass and leather castors. England, circa 1760 Height: 271/2in (70cm) Diameter: 27in (68.5cm)

MALLETT

This table is emblematic of some of the finest English furniture, being well proportioned, of fine timber and precisely carved. The condition of the surface is remarkable and has good patination. The mahogany is the best West Indian, probably of Cuban origin. It is possible that the castors were added or replaced at some time but are undoubtedly of the period. F2I0600

NEW YORK

ě‘Ż

AN 18TH CENTURY GILTWOOD CONSOLE TABLE A most unusual parcel gilt Louis XV side table carved with richly fashioned foliate decoration with an elaborate pierced shell in the centre of the frieze. The table stands on cabriole legs with scroll feet enriched with further foliate carving. Throughout the gilding and paintwork is in a remarkable state of conservation. The table retains its original Rouge Royal marble top. Southern France, circa 1760 Height: 34in (86cm) Width: 55in (140cm) Depth: 261/2in (67.5cm) F2I0653

43


44


45


LONDON

46

MALLETT

A PAIR OF ENGLISH SIGNAL CANNON

THOMAS BEACH

A pair of early nineteenth century signal cannon, the bronze barrels with touch holes and black powder proof marks on teak carriages with iron fittings and wooden wheels. England, circa 1820

Portrait of the Masters Blair: Charles and Henry Blair, the Children of Charles Blair and Lady Mary Fane, full length, wearing green and red suits of clothes, playing cup and ball in a landscape

Height: 11in (28cm) Width: 12in (30cm) Depth: 20in (50cm)

Signed ‘TBeach pinx’ and indistinctly dated 1769 (T and B in monogram; lower left) Oil on canvas Unframed: 501/2 x 40in (127.5 x 101.5cm) Framed: 57 x 47in (144.8 x 119.4cm) Contained in its original carved and gilded frame

O2I0588

(1738-1806)

PROVENANCE By inheritance in the Blair, Michel and De Montmorency families, until 1981 at Bowling Green, Sherborne, Dorset, to the present owner.

NEW YORK

LITERATURE Elise S. Beach, Thomas Beach. A Dorset Portrait Painter, 1934, p. 55, no. 23. Thomas Beach was born in Milton Abbas in 1738 and from an early age showed a love of art. In 1760, he became a pupil of Sir Joshua Reynolds and about the same time enlisted as a student in the St. Martin’s Lane Academy. On leaving his master he established himself in Bath, where he gained employment and repute as a portrait painter. From Bath he sent portraits to the exhibitions of the Incorporated Society of Artists (1772-83), of which body he was a member and a warm advocate in the squabbles which arose. He first began exhibiting at the Royal Academy in 1785, contributing portraits yearly up to 1797. His paintings are well known in the West of England and consist chiefly of portraits.

His works are well drawn, carefully painted, often in a low sober tone. The likenesses are usually excellent, without concession to flattery and easy to recognise. The present painting must rate amongst his finest works in terms of quality, use of light and its ambitious scale. Works by Beach are to be found in many important collections including the National Portrait Gallery, the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle and the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. P2I0343


LONDON

MALLETT

NEW YORK

47


48


LONDON

THE DENHAM PLACE PIER MIRRORS A very fine pair of George I carved gilt gesso pier mirrors with shaped arch plate, within leaf-tip, flowerhead, C-scroll, pendant and strapwork-carved corbelled sides, on a punched ground, the cresting with Prince of Wales plumes above a cherub mask flanked by eagle’s heads and scrolls, and the shaped apron centring on putto mask with scrolling leaves. The mirror frames reinstated with a rare set of 4mm glass plates with their original mercury silvering, and bevelled and shaped to the original design. Attributed to John Belchier. England, circa 1715 Height: 96in (242cm) Width: 441/2in (113cm) Depth: 8in (20cm) PROVENANCE

Almost certainly supplied to Sir Roger Hill (d.1729) for Denham Place, Buckinghamshire. Possibly sold to Francis Lenygon circa 1914 by Colonel Way. Acquired by Lord and Lady Chesterfield for Beningborough Hall, York after 1917. Sold Curtis & Henson, 12 June 1958, Beningborough Hall, The Important Contents of the Mansion (Lot 634 and 636) Desmond Fitz-Gerald, ‘A New Yorker’s Unusual Collection, Apollo Magazine, March 1967, Vol. LXXXV, 61, p. 162, pl. 11

MALLETT

John Belchier was believed to have been of Huguenot origin, as his trade label may suggest. He was recorded working as a cabinet maker at The Sun located in St. Pauls Church Yard in 1717 and is believed to have maintained the workshop until his death at the age of 70 in 1753.There are several recorded trade labels with his name spelt

NEW YORK

either Belchier or Bel-Chier together with his work shop label of an ornamental Sun. Belchier promoted himself on printed labels as a maker of ‘fine peer and Chimney-Glasses, and Glass Sconces, Likewise all Cabinet Makers Goods.’ F2J0030

49


50


51


LONDON

52

MALLETT

A WILLIAM IV MAHOGANY EXTENDING DINING TABLE A mid-19th century mahogany extending dining table, the demi-lune ends above a moulded frieze supported on circular tapering legs with large scale brass caps and castors, the internal telescopic mechanism allowing for seating for 16. England, circa 1835

This unusually versatile table can be employed as either a circular breakfast table, or as an extended dining table. Its robust frame make it both practical and elegant. It is of a form and design that Mallett have not encountered before. F2I0594

Height: 29in (73.5 cm) Length: 2261/2in (575.5 cm) Width: 651/2in (166.5 cm) Diameter: 651/2in (166.5 cm)

NEW YORK


LONDON

MALLETT

NEW YORK

53


54


LONDON

MALLETT

A PAIR OF MANDARIN VASES

A GEORGE III STEEL FIRE GRATE

A pair of late 18th century export Mandarin vases of flattened gourd shape, decorated with a vignette of village life, set within a geometric background. China, circa 1780

A large-scale Adam polished steel fire grate having engraved vase finials and paterae, the frame being bordered with a bead motif and having a pierced frieze of faceted and engraved paterae of oval form. The whole standing on fluted square tapering legs. England, circa 1800

Height: 181/2in (47cm) Width: 8in (21cm) Depth: 4in (10cm) (O2J0029)

Height: 261/2in (67cm) Width: 371/2in (95cm) Depth: 151/2in (39cm) F2I0388

NEW YORK

ě‘Ż

A PAIR OF WILLIAM IV SIDE CABINETS A pair of William IV side cabinets having glazed doors framed with a brass rim. The plinth and cornice are inlaid with a reeded brass element. The interiors divided by two shelves. England, circa 1825 Height: 38in (97cm) Width: 43in (110cm) Depth: 14in (35cm) F2I0590

55


56


57


LONDON

58

A DOUBLE DECANTER STAND BY MICHAEL PLUMMER A George III silver schooner shaped double decanter stand, the silver body with outswept readed rims terminating in scrolls above ring handles. The centre with two pierced and bright cut circular coasters flanked by a coat of arms with a trefoiled cross botonny at its centre. 30’ 7 scratch weight. London, 1794 Height: 2in (5cm) Width: 15in (38.5cm) Depth: 71/2in (19cm) O2I0673

MALLETT

NEW YORK

A PAIR OF OVAL PEDESTALS An unusual pair of late 18th century scagliola oval column pedestals fashioned as rouge marble with dark green and white plinths. Italy, circa 1800 Height: 36in (92cm) Width: 17in (43cm) Depth: 11in (28cm)

Scagliola is an imitation of marble made from a composition of selenite, glue and natural pigments. It is applied like paint to a wet gesso ground and fixed under heat and highly polished. This results in a complex texture and numerous possibilities of rich colours. The origin of the technique is Roman but was revived from the 16th century onwards as a less expensive option to marble. It was mainly used for columns, pilasters and architectural features as well as for table tops. F2I0598


59


60


61


LONDON

62

JOSEPH FARINGTON RA (1747-1821)

The Waterfall at Lodore, Derwentwater, Lake District Exhibited: Royal Academy, 1778, number 105 “A waterfall” wither sent, according to the RA catalogue, from “Creswick”, (presumably = Keswick) Cumberland PROVENANCE

Purchased from the artist for £5.5s 0d by Daniel Alexander Snr, thence by inheritance to his son Daniel Asher Alexander (17681846), architect and surveyor for the London Dock Company. Afterwards private collection, London. Inscribed on two labels dated 6 May 1843, verso, signed by D.A.Alexander “one of the first pictures [he exhibited]” Joseph Farington was born at Leigh, near Manchester, the son of an Anglican Rector, on 21 November 1747. After showing early promise as a landscape artist, he was sent at the age of 16 to train with Richard Wilson in London from 1763. He stayed with Wilson (for whom he maintained a profound respect throughout his life) for five years until 1768, absorbing his technique of landscape painting whilst simultaneously training his hand as a draughtsman in pen and ink in a manner which owes much to the Neapolitan Salvator Rosa (a great English favourite in the 18th century) and, more tenuously, to Canaletto whose Venetian views he greatly admired. At the age of 21 he was elected a member of the Society of Artists, where he had already won several prizes for landscape drawings. In 1769 he entered the Royal Academy Schools to further his formal training, though he had already started exhibiting his pictures at the Society of Artists

MALLETT

from four years earlier. Caught up in the new spirit of the Picturesque and the Sublime, he began a series of visits to the mountains of the Lake District, which consumed his interest throughout his life. He lived at Kewick from 1776 until 1781 His first exhibit at the Royal Academy (the present painting) was in 1778, and he continued to send pictures there for exhibition for the next 35 years. Farington was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1783, and full RA two years later. He was now established in his house at 35 Upper Charlotte Street, FitzRoy Square, where he entertained numerous members of the British art world. He was a relentlessly social man, and spent much of his life dining with fellow artists. A decade later, in 1793, he started what was to become the most important document in English art-history of the period: his diaries were minutely detailed and run from 1793 until 1821, and give us an unparalleled insight into the politics of the Royal Academy and the world of London Artists. The diary lists every dinner he attended, a note of all the participants (and where they sat at table) and what passed between them. We know, for instance, that Farington had dinner with Daniel Asher Alexander, whose father had bought the present picture directly from the artist and who later owned it, at the Architects’ Club on 13 January 1803 at the Thatched House Tavern. (Diaries, V, 1960). We also know that Farington gossiped with Smirke about Alexander’s over-charging the Crown for architectural work at Kensington Palace (Diaries, XVI (1820-21), 5447). In 1794, 76 views of the River Thames by him were engraved and published; later many landscape views of the Lake District were engraved by Byrne, Medland, Pouncey and others, which enjoyed a ready

NEW YORK

commercial success. Farington was prolific topographical draughtsman, and many of his drawings and sketch books survive in the V&A and elsewhere. He also produced numerous landscape paintings, of which today only few are traceable (he seems scarely ever to have signed his work in oils). The present painting is, rarely,

documented both by the early ownership inscriptions on the reverse, and by the survival of the composition drawing done on the spot on one of his sketching tours (below). He died in Manchester, where he had settled, from a fall from his horse whilst returning from church on 30 December 1821. He was 74.


LONDON

MALLETT

NEW YORK

63

The view of the present picture is of the waterfall at Lodore at the end of Derwentwater near Keswick in the Lake District. CONDITION NOTE

The painting is previously unpublished in this condition. At some point, probably in the mid-19th century, it had been

virtually completely over-painted in a crude and garish way, obscuring the original paint and changing the composition radically. There seems to have been no rational reason for this overpainting, as the recent campaign of conservation, removing the overpaint, has revealed that the original surface is intact and had not been

damaged by over-cleaning. The quality of the overpaint strongly suggested an amateur (perhaps childish) hand, and presumably the claims of the labels that this was an authentic early work by Farington had been dismissed by intervening owners because of this. The removal of the overpaint has revealed a picture in good condition, and with the

freshness of brushwork and strong impasto that betokens the influence of Richard Wilson on the one hand and Farington’s idiosyncratic technique on the other. P2I0351


LONDON

64

A SPECIMEN MARBLE TOPPED TABLE An unusual Italian early 19th century specimen marble top decorated at the centre with pietra dura panel depicting a bird perched on a branch; surrounded by radiating panels of varied marbles. The top is supported on a Regency giltwood tripod base, each leg carved with a claw foot with acanthus leaf and fluting above. The whole supported on a circular plinth. The top: Italy, circa 1820 The base: England, circa 1820 Height: 29in (74cm) Diameter: 31in (79cm) F2I0095

MALLETT

NEW YORK


65


66


LONDON

A REGENCY PERIOD ROSEWOOD REVOLVING BOOKSTAND A very rare and unusual revolving bookstand. The circular pierced brass galleried top above four graduated revolving circular tiers with rope-twist brass mouldings and brass retaining bars to each compartment. Supported on a parcel gilt fluted trumpet stem with a concave sided triangular plinth which in turn stands on gilt bun feet. England, 1820 Height: 59in (150cm) Diameter: 12in 30cm PROVENANCE Frederick, 2nd Baron Hesketh (1916-1955) Easton Neston, Northamptonshire

MALLETT

A related circular revolving bookcase is illustrated in Ackermann’s Repository of 1810, plate 1, (see page 48 Ackermann’s Regency Furniture & Interiors, text by Pauline Agius), This particular form of bookcase was secured by patent by Morgan and Sanders of Catherine St, Strand, London. For a further related example see Francis Collard, Regency Furniture, 1985, p.16. The column support of this bookcase derives from a design for a floor-standing torchère designed by Thomas Hope and which is illustrated in his Household Furniture & Interior Decoration, 1807, pl. X. The distinctive ebonised and fluted column support and the use of gilt-metal mounts are also reminiscent of the details on some of the furniture supplied to Southill, Bedfordshire for the Whitbread family. Much of this furniture was to the design of Henry Holland and made by Edward Marsh, whose business was subsequently re-named Marsh & Tatham. The trumpet stem on this bookstand also closely relates to that on an octagonal rosewood library table from Normanton Park, Rutland, (illustrated in M. Jourdain, Regency Furniture 1795-1830, fig. 172). It is possible that the Normanton Park table formed part of the furniture commissioned by the Heathcote family from Thomas Chippendale the Younger. LITERATURE Christian, Lady Hesketh, ‘Easton Neston, Nicholas Hawksmoor’s Baroque Creation in Northamptonshire’, Architectural Digest, January 1991, p.143 F2J0016

NEW YORK

A PAIR OF CEYLONESE CONSOLE TABLES A pair of mid 19th century Ceylonese calamander wood console tables, each with a shaped top and moulded edge standing on cabriole legs, the knees enriched with carved foliate ornament and terminating in claw and ball feet. Ceylon, circa 1840 Height: 291/2in (75cm) Width: 48in (122cm) Depth: 17in (42.5cm) F2I0445

A PAIR OF WILLIAM IV CANDELABRA A pair of three branch Louis XV revival William IV gilt copper candelabra ornamented throughout with high relief scrolls and floral ornament. England, 1835 Height: 23in (58cm) Width: 19in (48cm) O2D0246

67


68


69


70


LONDON

SIR MARTIN ARCHER SHEE PRA (1769-1850) Portrait of An elegant lady with a folio of drawings Oil on canvas Unframed: 30 x 25in (76.2 x 63.5cm) Framed: 38 x 33in (96.5 x 83.8cm)

MALLETT

NEW YORK

Sir Martin Archer Shee was born in Dublin on 20 December 1769, the son of a family originally from Kilkenny which subsequently moved to Co. Mayo. He was sent to school in Dublin and there first evinced the talent as a draughtsman which subsequently became his hallmark as an artist. He entered the Dublin Society’s Drawing Schools in 1781 at the age of twelve under the tutelage of Francis Robert West, where he won virtually all the medals and prizes for which he was entered, notably the medal for landscape (1782) and portraiture (1783). At the age of 16 or 17, he set up his own studio at 32 Dame Street, Dublin, and by 1786 was ‘as busy as anyone with one head and two hands can possibly be….. I have pictures in hand to the

amount of more than 50 guineas….. I am also to receive a silver palette from the Dublin Society in token of the approbation of my pictures’. The present painting dates from this early fertile period in his career, and was painted in about 1786. Encouraged by Gilbert Stuart, the American painter then working in Ireland, in June 1788 Shee moved to England, working initially as a copyist for the engravers Macklin and Boydell. He was subsequently introduced to Sir Joshua Reynolds, who advised him to join the Royal Academy Schools, to which he was admitted in November 1790, just before his 21st birthday, and by the following year, he was exhibiting the first of his very many exhibits at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.

left

middle

right

A PAIR OF CHINESE FAMILLE VERTE VASES AS LAMPS

A PAIR OF IMARI VASES MOUNTED AS LAMPS

A PAIR OF CHINESE BLUE AND WHITE VASES

A pair of mid 19th century Japanese Fukagawa Imari vases decorated with flowering peonies and birds on a terracotta ground, mounted as lamps with pleated silk shades. Japan, circa 1850

A pair of mid 19th century Chinese blue and white vases decorated with courtiers amongst palace gardens on a white ground. Mounted as lamps with silk bowed shades. China, circa 1860

Height: 25in (63cm) Width: 71/2in (19cm)

Height: 251/2in (64cm) Width:8in (21cm)

L2I0574

O2I0576

A pair of mid 19th century famille verte vases of bulbous form, decorated with shantung birds of paradise, perched amidst flowering branches and rock work. Now mounted as lamps with bowed silk shades. China, circa 1860 Height: 271/2in (70cm) Width: 10in (25cm) O2I0577

Shee was admitted A.R.A. in 1798. Henceforth his career was that of the hugely successful portrait painter, and after the death of Lawrence he was elected by a large majority as President of the Royal Academy in 1830, the first, and only, Irish man to achieve this honour. In the same year he was knighted. Shee was a member of the Society of Dilettanti, the Royal Society and several overseas cultural institutes. Painting apart, he was a poet, critic, and a playwright. He died in Brighton on 19 August 1850. LITERATURE Walter Strickland, A

Dictionary of Irish Artists, Dublin, 1913, Volume 2, p. 330. P2I0530

71


72


73


74


LONDON

A CHARLES X INLAID GUÉRIDON A fine quality Charles X rosewood guéridon profusely inlaid with floral decoration, the fossil marble top resting on a moulded edge with additional scroll supports, the central column is inlaid with simulated fluting in boxwood, the square section supports resting on a classical stepped plinth. France, circa 1830 Height: 30in (76.5cm) Diameter: 41in (103.5cm) Delicately inlaid rosewood furniture such as this became popular in France, mainly as a result of the success of the designs of Jean-Josse Caron l’Aîné (1773-1838). The pieces he produced in the brief period between 1831 and 1838, as well as his publication, in 1836, of sixty designs under the title Le Manuel de l'ébéniste, would have had considerable influence on contemporary tastes. The delicate markings of the inlay contrast with the clean, strong lines of the table. F2I0545

MALLETT

A COLLECTION OF BUTTERFLY AND MOTH STUDIES Marian Ellis Rowan (1848-1922) A full description of the exact species of each moth/butterfly is available on request. Characteristic of New Guinea/ Indo-Australia Watercolour with body colour on grey paper. Each signed Ellis Rowan Circa 1916-18

NEW YORK

Marian Ellis Rowan was born on 30 July 1848 in Melbourne, first child of Charles Ryan of Kilfera station, Port Phillip District, and his wife Marian, née Cotton. Rowan attended a girls’ school at Brighton, Victoria. She had no formal training in art but was encouraged by her grandfather, John Cotton, who had written and illustrated two books on English birds. In 1869 she visited English relatives who advised her to continue painting wildflowers in her own style. It was this which brought her lasting fame. Ellis Rowan was a fascinating woman, an enigmatic character who forged her way through life, captivating others while pursuing her ultimate goal – the finding and painting of wildflowers, birds, insects and butterflies of many countries, often for the first time. Many were classified and named by the government botanist Sir Ferdinand Mueller. In 1879-93 Ellis Rowan exhibited her work in international exhibitions in Australia, India, England, Europe and the United States of America and in that time was awarded 10 gold medals, 15 silver and 4 bronze. In 1888 at Melbourne’s Centennial International Exhibition she was awarded the highest honours, which brought a measure of envy from a few artists who considered flower painting an inferior art. After the death of her husband, Frederic Rowan, in 1892, Ellis Rowan was rarely in Australia; she travelled to New Zealand, London and the U.S.A., exhibiting her work as she went. Her London stay of two years brought swift fame – Queen Victoria accepted three of her paintings – and she wrote Flower Hunter in Queensland and New Zealand (1898), an account of adventures based on letters to

her husband and friends. While in America she illustrated three botanical texts for Alice Lounsberry. Rowan returned to Australia in 1905-06 where she pursued her search to find and record every species of wildflower on the continent. In 1916-18 she twice visited Papua and New Guinea, finding and illustrating many hitherto unclassified flowers and, on her second trip, searching for endangered birds of paradise. Travelling only with local guides and living in primitive conditions in unmapped territory, she succeeded in painting fortyseven of the fifty-two known species, setting the birds free afterwards. Aged 70, broken in health from malaria and fatigue she returned to Australia, and in 1920 held an exhibition of 1000 paintings in Sydney, the largest collection exhibited to that time in Australia. The next year, in response to pressure from women’s organizations, the Hughes government agreed to purchase the collection for the nation, but debate in Federal parliament over the price brought conflicting opinions. Ellis Rowan’s health deteriorated; and no decision had been reached by the time of her death at Macedon on 4 October 1922. She was buried with Anglican rites in Macedon cemetery. In 1923 the Bruce-Page government, offered £5000 for 947 paintings. A number of disgruntled artists demurred at the purchase of ‘vulgar art’. Probably of greater botanical than artistic value, the Rowan collection is held at the National Library of Australia, Canberra, as is a portrait of her by John Longstaff. P2I0613

75


LONDON

76

MALLETT

NEW YORK


LONDON

MALLETT

NEW YORK

77

Opposite top A PAIR OF MOTH STUDIES Height: 301/2in (78cm) Width: 231/2in (59.5cm) P2I0614 Opposite bottom A PAIR OF BUTTERFLY STUDIES Height: 301/2in (78cm) Width: 231/2in (59.5cm) P2I0613 Above A PAIR OF BUTTERFLY STUDIES Height: 301/2in (78cm) Width: 231/2in (59.5cm) P2I0615 Left A STUDY OF MOTHS Height: 31in (78cm) Width: 231/2in (59.5cm) P2I0616


LONDON

MALLETT

78

A PAIR OF BLACK LACQUER STOOLS A very rare pair of mid-18th century chinoiserie japanned rectangular stools, each decorated on all four sides with floral and landscape vignettes flanked by diaper patterned borders, each also having a stretcher similarly decorated. Attributed to John Linnell. England, circa 1760 Height: 17in (43cm) Width: 22in (56cm) Depth: 17in (44cm)

The careers of William Linnell and his son John spanned more than sixty years; William trained as a carver and set up business in c. 1730, and his son John, who was an exceptional artist and designer, seems to have been involved in the firm in the early 1750s.

Linnell’s involvement in the production of chinoserie style furniture is likely to have begun simultaneously to the publication of two papers which spread the fashion for the Chinoiserie style. William Halfpenny’s New Designs for Chinese Temples (1750) and Thomas Chippendale’s Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director’ (1754) are two good examples of contemporary Chinese style design sources. By the time of William Linnell’s death in 1763, an inventory of the Berkeley Square workshops was made, revealing several chinoserie pieces and, with other known commissions in this style, we can assume that they had a regular production of chinoserie style furniture between 1750-65 F2I0426

NEW YORK


LONDON

MALLETT

NEW YORK

79

AN ANGLO INDIAN MIRROR A very unusual mid-19th century Anglo Indian rococo revival ebony pier mirror, each element is finely carved with foliate ornament and “C” & “S” scrolls with carved shells at the corners and the centre of the sides India, circa 1860 Height: 451/2in (115.5cm) Width: 33in (84cm) Depth 21/2in (6.5cm) F2F0026

A PAIR OF MICHARD CANAPÉS A fine small scale pair of canapés en corbeille each with a padded moulded backrest and armrests on curved moulded supports, the seat with loose cushion raised on cabriole legs carved with stylized fans, terminating in scroll toes and joined by a double serpentine fluted seat rail. Re-gilded. France, circa 1760

Height: 371/2in (95cm) Height of seat: 19in (49cm) Width: 501/2in (128cm) Depth: 231/2in (60cm) Claude-Étienne Michard (17321794) was a Parisian menuisier who obtained his title of mâitre in 1757. He worked at Rue Sainte-Foy in the menuisiers area and married the sister of one of his colleagues, JeanNicolas Blanchard. He made seat furniture in Louis XV, Transition

and Louis XVI styles which were delivered to some rich collectors like the Duc de Choiseul at the Château de Canteloup or the Duc de la Rochefoucauld-d’Enville. He is represented at the Musée des Arts Decoratifs and at the Musée Nissim de Camondo, in Paris. F2I0316


80


81


LONDON

MALLETT

82

A CHINESE EXPORT SCREEN A magnificent early 19th century Cantonese double-sided eight-fold screen, decorated with gilt chinoiseries on a brown background, depicting scenes of courtly life amongst a landscape of pleasure gardens and lakes, bordered by intricate foliate

decoration with many mythological birds animals and fish. China, circa 1820 Height: 85in (214cm) Width: 173in (440cm) F2I0283

NEW YORK


LONDON

MALLETT

NEW YORK

83

Recto


LONDON

84

MALLETT

NEW YORK


LONDON

MALLETT

NEW YORK

85

Verso


LONDON

86

A PAIR OF WILLIAM IV HANGING SHELVES A pair of William IV brass and ebonised wood four tier hanging shelves, each tier is strung with brass and is divided by an elaborate pierced foliate element flanked by brass columns. The top tier has a boldly modelled pierced foliate scroll gallery. England, circa 1820 Height: 27in (68cm) Width: 36in (92cm) Depth: 6in (15cm) F2I0471

MALLETT

NEW YORK


LONDON

MALLETT

NEW YORK

87

A PAIR OF TOWN & EMANUEL COMMODES A most unusual pair of Regency Revival boulle bedside commodes, each profusely inlaid with rosewood and brass neoclassical decoration. There is extensive use of ‘partie’ and ‘contra partie’ work. The sides are inlaid with a border of stars with floral inlay at the corners. The doors echo the star motif and frame brass grills with silk behind. The commodes stand on tapering square feet inlaid with further boulle work. The commodes retain their original

Alps Jade marble tops. Attributed to Town & Emanuel. England, circa 1845 Height: 361/2in (93cm) Width: 27in (68.5cm) Depth: 171/2in (44.5cm) Town & Emanuel set up their business as cabinet-makers in New Bond Street from 1830 to 1849. At this time it was not uncommon for firms to stamp or label their furniture. However, Town & Emanuel’s label was more elaborate than most, describing themselves as ’Manufacturers of Buhl

Marqueterie, Riesner & Carved Furniture, Tripods, Screens &c. of the Finest & Most Superb Designs of the Times of Louis 14th. Splendid Cabinets & Tables inlaid with Fine Sevre & Dresden China &c.’ (reproduced in F.Collard, ‘Town & Emanuel’, Furniture History, 1996, p.82, fig.1). The label also advertises their Royal Appointment to Queen Adelaide and the wide scope of their business. As manufacturers of revivalist furniture, Town & Emanuel chiefly cultivated the British aristocratic taste for the styles of the French ancien

régime. One of their principal specialties was ‘buhl’ (the English revival of the French Boulle technique). They were particularly successful at buhl writing desks. Typical of their work is an example at Burghley House which was made in the 1830’s and is apparently unlabelled. It may be attributed to Town & Emanuel on account of its similarity to a labelled piece which has passed through the trade. F2I0441


88


89


90


LONDON

MALLETT

A PAIR OF ITALIAN GILTWOOD MIRRORS

A PAIR OF FAMILLE ROSE PLATES

An unusual and charming pair of small scale North Italian giltwood mirrors, the cresting carved as a balustrade with vases joined by swags and issuing forth floral displays, the sides are carved with further stylised foliate ornament and subsidiary swags at the base. They retain their original bevelled mirror plates.

A very fine pair of early 18th century Chinese porcelain rose Imari plates, each richly decorated with a cockerel perched on rockwork in a blossoming garden, the rims with panels of chrysanthemum, prunus blossom and scrolls enclosed on a stylised chrysanthemum ground, the underside with a floral garland. China, Yongzheng period, circa 1723-35

Italy, circa 1770 Height: 32in (82cm) Width: 13in (33cm) F2I0694

Diameter: 111/2in (29cm) These plates are of the earliest type of Famille rose that was made for the European market. They are a combination of the Imari and Famille rose palette, first introduced around 1720.

NEW YORK

A PAIR OF EMPIRE MAHOGANY BERGÈRES A pair of Empire mahogany bergères having square backs carved with stylised foliate patterae and a floral motif. The arms are of barrel shape and are carved with further foliate ornament and scrolls. The bergères stand on column legs carved with dentills and terminate in pad feet. The bowed front seat rail is further carved with stylised foliate patterae. Each stamped P. Bellangé and have a label marked “Salon de Madame Vilette”. France, circa 1810 Height: 37in (94cm) Height of seat: 18.5 (47cm) Width: 29in (73.5cm) Depth: 25in (63.5cm) F2I0593

O2I0100 Pierre Bellangé was born around 1760 and became a maître menuisier in 1788. He managed to survive successfully and even

flourish through the turbulent times of the end of the 'ancien régime' through the Revolution and the Empire to end his days in the exalted position of being 'ébeniste du Roi' to Louis-Philippe in 1844. Throughout his career his work was always sought after and he seems to have enjoyed a life free from the usual turmoil of bankruptcy, or worse, that afflicted most of his generation. With immaculate timing he moved into 'ébenisterie' when merely being a 'menuisier' did not suffice and he made partnerships with equal skill. If we look back on his career we see that he held a position amongst the front ranks of those who fashioned the decorative arts of the early 19th century. Though he produced many fine pieces in all styles, his work during the Empire period is probably his finest. Indeed he stamped very little of his work but it is sometimes to be found on his chairs from this epoch, and always those made in mahogany.

91


92


93


94


LONDON

MALLETT

NEW YORK

A PAIR OF CHINESE STOOLS

A KASHMIRI RED & WHITE IVORY CHESS SET

A MARBLE CHESS BOARD

A pair of late 19th Chinese export aubergine lacquer barrel stools. Each constructed with five legs joined at the foot by a circular stretcher. The stools are decorated throughout with geometric and foliate patterns together with floral vignettes and still lives of vernacular objects. China, circa 1880

An elaborately carved early 19th century Kashmiri chess set in white and red stained ivory. India, circa 1820

An Italian mid-19th century marble chess board. The squares are in black and sienna marbles and framed in white with a band of rouge griotte. Italy, circa 1860

Height: 18in (46cm) Diameter: 14in (36cm) F2I0592

Height of King: 5in (12cm) Max width: 2in (4.5cm) O2C0349

Height: 11/2 in (4cm) Width: 19in (49cm) O2F0429

ě‘Ż

A PAIR OF GEORGE I GILTWOOD PIER MIRRORS A pair of George I gilt gesso pier mirrors. Each has a shaped and scrolled cresting centred by an elaborate feathered plume, which is decorated with bellflowers carved in relief, and surrounded by arabesque foliate motifs, against a punched ground. The shaped apron is centred by a scallop shell, within a punched foliate carved ground, and flanked by brass candle arms. The rectangular bevelled mirror plate is bordered by a gilt gesso frame with carved strap work and alternating scallop shells and stylised floral motifs. England, circa 1720 Height: 50in (127cm) Width: 22in (56cm) F2I0648

95


96


97


LONDON

MALLETT

NEW YORK

98

A REGENCY REVIVAL END TABLE A rare two-tier end table, each tier is black japanned. The top tier is supported at the corners with double brass columns simulating bamboo and at the capital with a ring handle. The table stands on turned tapering feet with machined brass collars and terminating in elaborately

fashioned brass castors. The underside of the top bears a label for John Reid and Sons, cabinet makers, 14 Park Row, Leeds. England, circa 1900 Height: 25 in (63cm) Width: 251/2 in (65cm) Depth: 161/2 in (42cm)

John Reid & Sons from Leeds were a retail furniture suppliers and probably also makers. They were active during the second half of the 19th century and several labelled pieces by them are known. These show that he worked mainly in a fine neo Georgian (especially neo Sheraton) style, and this unusual Êtagère is apparently the only known piece in this style. The

firm is recorded in the directories as Cabinet Makers and Upholsterers from circa1853 at Meadow Road, Leeds, and from 1881 to 1903 also at 14 Park Row. We thank James Lomax, curator at Temple Newsam House Leeds, for the information provided on John Reid & Sons. F2I0472


A SET OF THOMAS WEEKS WEIGHING SCALES A very rare set of late 18th century weighing scales with extending height measure, made in satinwood cross-banded throughout with kingwood, and outlined with boxwood and ebony stringing. With two small turned and hinged trays for weights and raised on a rectangular, leather lined base; having a small brass band at the top of the shaft inscribed ‘Weeks’s Rl Mechl Museum Tichborne St’; the weights in their own brass container inscribed on the top: ‘32.Ounces 16.Stone 224.Pounds/ Weeks’s/ 589/ Rl Mechanl Museum/ Tichborne St’. England, circa 1790 Height: 53 in (135cm) Width: 14 in (36cm) Depth: 14 in (36cm)

A makers label under weighing platform & to the underside an applied paper label with ink script: "Instructions for the Sanctorious Ballance or Standards & Weighing Machine: made by Weeks Tichborne St, Piccadilly.

Successor to the late M Merlin. Let the place where it stands be quite even ...... & when you pull the standard up count from the top of the name weeks on the right hand side, should the foot board be out of its situation – by being meddled with improperly – please to jostle till it takes its proper place; this you will know by the vibration of the beam. NB Under the point of the .... Is the stones & pounds, 1 stone – this is equal to two ounces. Should the scale be out of perpendicular you will observe a screw on the counter lever with a nut at the end of it for the purpose of regulating the scale; this turn to the right or the left till you bring it to an equilibrium that should always be correct. Where are also made the Merlins mechanical Gouty Chairs, also the Bath Chairs, with springs or without equal to a Sedan Chair in the first style of workmanship – also curious library Chairs with steps imperceptible invented by Weeks well calculated for exercise, as the will produce perspiration from the nod of the neck to the toe in the course of a few seconds far superior to Dumb Bells used for that purpose – these chairs also answer for high beds." O2D0304

99


100


101


LONDON

102

MALLETT

NEW YORK


LONDON

MALLETT

AN EGLOMISE MIRROR

A PATENT PORT CRADLE

An unusual large-scale Charles X eglomise mirror having a polished brass outer edge and eglomise faces with gilt borders and scrolling gilt oak leaf motif against a white background retaining its original mirror plate. France, circa 1830

A polished brass mechanical port cradle having baluster shaped side supports, with carrying handle, suspending a bottle carrier which is in turn attached to a screw operated tilting mechanism, all this in brass and raised on a shaped ebonised wood support with ball feet. England, circa 1890

Height: 41in (104cm) Width: 35in (89cm)

Height: 10in (26cm) Length: 121/2 in (32cm)

F2J0005

NEW YORK

ě‘Ż

A EMPIRE CHAISE LONGUE An Empire mahogany chaise longue having reeded front and back rails and highly scrolled end supports, all supported on outswept sabre legs carved with bell flowers, a central patera and open acanthus leaf terminating in lion’s paw feet. France, circa 1810 Height: 34 in (86 cm) Width: 71 in (180 cm) Depth: 261/2 in (67 cm)

O2I0595 F2I0542

103


104


105


LONDON

MALLETT

106

A WILLIAM AND MARY GATELEG TABLE This is a rare black and giltJapanned oval table, with a twinflap top decorated with exotic water birds and river landscapes, one with a rider, on fluted and stepped columnar legs joined by a moulded stretcher, the top cradled to the underside. England, circa 1700 Height: 291/2 in (75cm) Width (open): 571/2 in (146cm) Depth: 471/2 in (121cm)

PROVENENCE The Earl Poulett, Hinton House, Somerset; sold Sotheby’s 1 November 1968, lot 38 (to Mallett for £1400). The Prescott Collection; sold to Christie’s New York, 31 January 1981, lot 316 (to Mallett for $28,000). Aquired from Mallett, 19 February 1981. F2J0051

NEW YORK


107


LONDON

108

A LOUIS XVI SATINWOOD COMMODE A late 18th century satinwood commode having three drawers, each inlaid with brass and tulipwood stringing. The sides are framed by column pilasters, with brass flutes surmounted by further brass ornament, all supported by topie feet with machined brass collars and sabots. The commode retains its original white marble top and pierced brass gallery. France, circa 1795 Height: 381/2 in (98cm) Width: 51in (130cm) Depth: 23in (59cm)

MALLETT

The design of this commode is typical of furniture from the late Louis XVI period, featuring straight, fluted columns, minimal ornamentation and a natural wood finish. F2I0097

NEW YORK

A PAIR OF CHARLES X LAMPS A pair of Charles X bronze and ormolu column patent oil lamps with gilt foliate capital and reeded stem, bearing the trade label Gagneau Faubourg St Denis, No 17, Paris. Retaining the original Carcel patent clockwork oil delivery mechanisms. Now wired for electricity and mounted with pleated silk shades. France, circa 1825 Height: 36in (91cm) Diameter: 21in (54cm)

The Carcel lamp was invented in 1800 by the clock maker Bertrand Guillaume Carcel (1750-1812). It consists of a lamp lit with vegetable oil via a pump driven by a clockwork mechanism wound up by a key. The clockwork kept the delivery of oil steady and constant for almost ten hours. The mechanism was updated and improved by Fauchet in 1837. L2H0571


109


LONDON

MALLETT

NEW YORK

110

A PAIR OF BERLIN PORCELAIN VASES A superb pair of early 19th century Berlin porcelain vases, each decorated on both sides with circular panels simulating micro-mosaic depicting doves, swans and a hound, on a cream ground, the urns and stems richly gilded throughout and raised on simulated lapis bases, with blue sceptre mark and initials KPM and eagle stencilled in manganese. Berlin, circa 1825 Height: 12in (31cm)

These magnificent vases are representative of the flourishing of the Berlin Porcelain Manufactory in the reign of Friedrich Wilhem III during the post-Napoleonic era. At this time there was a great programme of civic and private building in both Potsdam and Berlin and the output of the porcelain factory celebrated this era with views of the palaces and other great landmarks of both cities. Classical urn forms proliferated but what makes these particular vases so unusual is that, instead of the topographical views, the decorated panels depict small

scenes in imitation of the Italian revival of Roman micro-mosaics, a further reflection of the Antique. The mosaics are charming pictures of swans on a river and three doves perched around a casket on one vase and a hound seated by a pedestal supporting a burner, with an anchor and an urn of flowers on the other, all in minute detail. O2A0332


111


LONDON

112

SCOTTISH SCHOOL, 18TH CENTURY Portrait of John, 20th Earl of Crawford and Lindsay Full-length, in a red and yellow costume, holding his gun, in a landscape Oil on canvas 84 x 55in (213cm x 140cm)

MALLETT

John, 20th Earl of Crawford and 4th Earl of Lindsay (1702-1749) was the son of John, 19th Earl of Crawford (died 1713/14) and his wife Amelia (died 1711), daughter of James Stewart, Lord Doune and widow of Alexander Fraser of Strichen. He married Lady Jane Murray (1730-1747) daughter of James 2nd Duke of Atholl. The couple eloped and married on 3 March 1747. His wife died of fever on the Continent within a year of their marriage and they had no children. He studied at the University of Glasgow and the Military Academy of Vaudeuil, Paris. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1732. In 1733 he was made a gentleman of the bedchamber to Frederick Prince of Wales. He was elected as a representative peer in 1732 and became a loyal supporter of Robert Walpole. He won greater renown as a soldier than as a politician. He joined the Austrian army under Prince Eugene in 1735, distinguishing himself at the battle of Claussen in October of that year. He fought against the Turks and the Tartars under the command of Marshall Münnich. He was admired for his horsemanship and his skill with

NEW YORK

a sword. He re-joined the Austrian army under Marshall Wallis and was severely wounded in the left thigh at the battle of Krotza on 22 July 1739. He was made Colonel of The Highland Regiment in 1739 which became the Black Watch. In December 1740 he became Colonel of the Horse Grenadier Guards. He fought at the battle of Dettingen 16 June 1743 in the Pragmatic army under John Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of Stair when he commanded a brigade of cavalry. After the battle he was made a knight banneret by George II and Brigadier General in 1744. He served under William, Duke of Cumberland in the Southern Netherlands and won praise at the battle of Fontenoy on 13 April 1745, for his covering of the retreat. He was made a Major-General in May of that year. Following the Jacobite rising in Scotland, he commanded 6,000 Hessian troops and occupied Perth. His subsequent retreat threatened Cumberland’s lines of communication and after urging more leniency to the Highlanders after the battle of Culloden and being described by the Duke of Cumberland as

‘arrant Highland mad’ both men agreed he should leave Scotland. He fought at the battle of Roncoux in the Southern Netherlands (5 October 1746), and escaped capture by impersonating a French General. He was made Colonel of the 25th Foot and the Scots Greys and Lieutenant-General in September 1747. He died in Upper Brook Street, London on 24 December 1749 and was buried in Scotland next to his wife in the family vault at Ceres in Fife. According to Horace Walpole he died after a large dose of laudanum taken while depressed and after the wound in his leg had re-opened for the 17th time. He was succeeded by his kinsman George Lindsay, 4th Viscount Garnock. Known as the ‘Gallant Earl’, a celebratory biography by Richard Bolt was published in 1753 and re-published in 1769. The Duke of Cumberland said of him “if his head was as good as his heart His Majesty would not have had a better officer in his whole army.” P2I0661


113


LONDON

MALLETT

NEW YORK

114

THREE PAIRS OF MATTHEW BOULTON CANDLE VASES Outer left and right A PAIR OF GEORGE III CANDLE VASES A pair of ormolu-mounted and white marble candle vases, the body joined by foliate swans neck handles, mounted on stepped bases with ball feet. By Matthew Boulton England, circa 1790 Height: 6.5in (16.5cm) Width: 5.3in (13.5cm)

Middle A PAIR OF CANDLE VASES A pair of ormolu-mounted and white carrara marble candle vases, with a band of guilloche around the top and raised on white marble pedestals. By Matthew Boulton England, circa 1790 Height: 7.5in (19.0cm) Width: 4.5in (11.5cm) O2J0045

Second left and second from right A PAIR OF GEORGE III ORMOLU CANDLE VASES The attenuated urn shaped vases with foliate lids headed by foliate finials, with foliate bases raised on polished plinths hung with garlands and standing on ball feet. By Matthew Boulton. England, circa 1790 Height: 8.1in (20.5cm) Width: 2.6in (6.5cm) Depth: 2.6in (6.5cm)

O2J0044 O2J0046


LONDON

MALLETT

NEW YORK

115

Matthew Boulton (1728-1809) is arguably the individual with the greatest historic significance associated with Birmingham and the production of exquisite objects of virtue, he was also the founder of the first mint and established the Assay offices in both Birmingham and Sheffield. Matthew Boulton was the largest European employer of the period with over 800 people working in the Soho mint and metal workshops. His clients whom included King George III and Catherine the Great of Russia, were

supplied with some of finest items of exceptional quality that were ever produced in the 18th century. Boulton’s repertoire of ornament was drawn from books, models borrowed from other makers, artefacts, architects and indeed anyone who suited his aims. He set out to rival the French bronziers who had mounted all sorts of china with gilt mounts, but rather than use china bodies, he preferred to use raw materials sourced from nearer to home. Matthew Boulton achieved in his gilt metal objects a dignified

sophistication quite different to French ormolu pieces. Boulton’s taste was emblematic of the refined English neo-classical period, as typified by the architect Robert Adam; his repertoire displays a very special glory derived from the extraordinary impetus of neoclassical inspiration that arose in the European decorative arts from the 1760’s onwards. The range of his products included candle vases, perfume burners, clock cases, watch stands, candlesticks, ewers, girandoles, sconces and many

other fine objects. But the vast majority were candle vases and perfume burners as are shown here in this fine and exemplary group. “Methinks Public gratitude should erect a Column to the memory of the First engineer, Artist and manufacturer that ever existed whose Ingenuity and perseverance enriched his Country beyond the powers of calculation; and the place should be called Boultonia, or Boulton’sTown” (J. H. Reddell to Matthew Boulton)


116


LONDON

MALLETT

NEW YORK

117

A WALNUT SIDE TABLE IN CHINESE STYLE A very rare Italian mid-18th Century Walnut demi-lune side table, the moulded top supported on cabriole legs, the frieze embellished with stylised clouds in the Chinese style, with shaped, moulded stretcher and resting on ball and claw feet. Italy, circa 1760 Height: 32in (82cm) Width: 391/2 in (100cm) Depth: 15in (38.5cm) F2I0541

A SET OF SEVEN BRASS WEIGHTS AND A YARDSTICK A set of 7 brass weights and an imperial yardstick, marked county of Kent and stamped with the seals of George IV, William IV and Queen Victoria. England, circa 1826

A BOAT-SHAPED JARDINIERE A highly unusual and rare boatshaped jardinière, the wooden form grained and lacquered and further enriched with brass inlay and mouldings, with two cast brass entwined snake handles, fitted with a modern brass liner. Baltic, circa 1740

Height (tallest): 12in (31cm) O2I0688

Height with stand: 331/2in (85cm) Height: 18in (45cm) Width: 441/2 in (113cm) Depth: 10in (25cm) O2I0229


118


119


120

MALLETT PLC DIRECTORS

The Lord Daresbury* Chairman Giles Hutchinson Smith Chief Executive Michael Smyth Osbourne Financial Director James Heneage* Henry Neville Thomas Woodham-Smith

*Non executive

MALLETT & SON (ANTIQUES) LTD 141 New Bond Street London W1S 2BS Telephone +44 (0)20 7499 7411 Fax +44 (0)20 7495 3179 Giles Hutchinson Smith Chief Executive Thomas Woodham-Smith Managing Director Michael Smyth Osbourne Financial Director Richard Cave Director Felicity Jarrett Associate Director Nicholas Wells Associate Director Joao Magalhaes

MALLETT INC 929 Madison Avenue, at 74th Street New York N.Y. 10021 Telephone 001 212 249 8783 Fax 001 212 249 8784 Henry Neville President Justin Evershed-Martin Eleni Antoniou

Telephone +44 (0)20 7495 5375 Fax +44 (0)20 7495 3197 Email: hello@madebymeta.com www.madebymeta.com Alison Sachs Managing Director Eleonore Halluitte Production Manager

JAMES HARVEY BRITISH ART 15 Langton Street London, SW10 0JL Telephone/ Fax +44 (0)20 7352 0015 Email: info@jhba.co.uk www.jamesharveybritishart.com James Harvey Director

VISIT OUR WEBSITE www.mallettantiques.com Email: info@mallettantiques.com

Copyright All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers. Terms and conditions All business transactions are subject to our standard terms and conditions of sale, copies of which are available on request.

Š Mallett & Son (Antiques) Ltd 2009 Designed by Sinclair Communications Printed in England by BAS Fine Art Printers


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