MACKINNON fine furniture and works of art
Gilded
Golden Treasures of Georgian Furniture
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Introduction We are delighted to present a catalogue for our summer exhibition, Gilded: Golden Treasures of Georgian Furniture. The exhibition features a curated selection of exquisite 18th century English furniture that highlights the prominence of gilding during this historic era. The exhibition explores the lavish use of gilded decoration on furniture throughout the Georgian age. Gilding is more than just a decorative accent: it was a formidable statement of power, prestige, and undoubtedly, wealth. The practice of gilding dates back to the ancient Egyptians and has been used extensively throughout almost every culture from antiquity through to contemporary art. The exhibition’s focus on 18th century gilding in England offers an opportunity to understand the importance of this decorative style to Georgian England. The central highlight of the exhibition is arguably one of the most important and magnificent masterpieces of 18th century English furniture ever made. This giltwood secretaire cabinet, attributed to the Royal cabinetmaker James Moore, was almost certainly made circa 1720 for the Portuguese Royal Court. It is a truly exceptional example of the gilt gesso technique and undoubtedly one of the grandest and most ambitious pieces of antique furniture extant. Many of the pieces in the exhibition have distinguished provenances and attributions to the most important craftsmen of their day. We look forward to welcoming you to the exhibition and sharing these exceptional pieces with you.
Charlie Mackinnon Mackinnon Fine Furniture June 2017
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A George I Giltwood Secretaire Cabinet Attributed to James Moore
England, circa 1720 An exceptional and highly important George I giltwood secretaire cabinet attributed to the Royal cabinetmaker, James Moore the Elder (c.1670-d.1726). The gilt surface carved and decorated throughout with strap-work and foliage patterns, the sides and two doors of the upper part with beveled mirror plates, the interiors of the doors in walnut opening to reveal a magnificent fitted interior with pigeonholes below a central arched door surrounded by small drawers all beautifully veneered in yew-wood below two adjustable bookshelves, the lower part comprising a fall front bureau, the top opening and supported on lopers to reveal a further fitted interior with pigeonholes and drawers also veneered with yew-wood and decorative inlaid stringing, with an inset silk velvet writing area and an exceptional engraved brass lock-plate, below which are two short and two graduated long drawers with ring-pull handles and engraved decorative escutcheons, the sides with magnificent engraved carrying handles, all raised on boldly carved paw feet. The whole piece decorated with the most magnificent gilt gesso decoration. Height: 7ft 10 in (238cm) Width: 3ft 11in (120cm) Depth: 2ft (60cm) L10.52 Provenance Possibly, and by repute, the collection of Her Royal Highness Dona Carlota Joaquina, wife of Dom João VI, King of Portugal (1816 – 1822). If correct, then it is fair to consider that the bureau bookcase was probably commissioned by Dom João V (1689 – 1750), and thence by decent to Dom João VI (see additional information regarding the possible early provenance in the following pages) With Soares and Mendonça, Portugal 1960s Mr Alexandre Fernandes, Lisbon Sold Sotheby`s London, 3rd June 1977, lot 93 With Mallett & Son (Antiques) Ltd, London Private Collection, London, purchased at The Grosvenor House Antiques Fair from the above, London, 15th June 1978 Literature Lanto Synge, Great English Furniture, London, 1991, p. 52. Tessa Murdoch, ‘The king’s cabinet-maker: the giltwood furniture of James Moore the Elder’, Burlington Magazine, vol. CXLV, 2003.
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Made for export to the Portuguese Royal Court, this magnificent gilt-gesso bureau is arguably one of the finest and most important surviving pieces of English furniture made in the eighteenth century. The incredible craftsmanship of this brilliantly worked bureau reflects the work of the finest artisans for what was almost certainly a noble or royal patron. The bureau was originally made as a pair and was almost certainly destined for the Portuguese Court during the reign of King Dom João V (r.1709-1750), perhaps for the king himself or one of his closest courtiers.
‘One of the most outstanding examples of the craft of the English gesso worker.’ R. W. Symonds, ‘English Eighteenth Century Furniture Exports to Spain and Portugal,’ The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs, Vol. 78, No. 455 (Feb, 1941), pp.57-61.
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A George I Gilt Gesso Settee England, circa 1715 An exceptional and very rare George I carved gilt gesso settee. The frame decorated throughout with outstanding carved gilt gesso detailing, the back and seat upholstered in eighteenth century French silk damask, the arm supports boldly outswept with curled terminals, the gilt gesso seat frieze further embellished with scrolling foliage and circular punchwork background, standing on elegant cabriole legs further decorated with acanthus leaves and surmounted by shells, terminating in pad feet similarly decorated. Height: 80½ in (204.5 cm) Width: 49 in (124.5 cm) Depth: 25 in (63.5 cm) Provenance Norman Adams, Ltd., London Mallett & Son Antiques, London Private Collection, USA Literature Christopher Claxton Stevens and Stewart Whittingon, 18th Century English Furniture: The Norman Adams Collection, Woodbridge, 1983, ill. 27 Lanto Synge, Great English Furniture, London, 1991, pp. 83-84, fig. 87 Exhibited Grosvenor House Antiques Fair, 1951 AD.66
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‘This settee… is one of the most unusual items of gesso furniture recorded.’ Christopher Claxton Stevens & Stewart Whittington, 18th Century English Furniture: The Norman Adams Collection, pp.26-27
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A Pair of Queen Anne Gilt Gesso Sconces England, circa 1700 A very fine and extremely rare pair of early 18th century Queen Anne gilt gesso sconces, each retaining its original double arched beveled mirror plate within a conforming moulded gesso frame. Each with a single brass candle arm. Height: 26ž in (68 cm) Width: 17ž in (45 cm) L06.38
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An Ivory Japanned Cabinet on Stand The cabinet European, circa 1680. The stand English, circa 1680 A very rare and fine late 17th century European brass mounted polychrome and gilt japanned two door fitted cabinet on a Charles II period carved giltwood stand. The cabinet decorated throughout the exterior and interior with landscaped pagoda scenes incorporating figures, birds and imaginary creatures; the doors mounted with finely etched hinges and escutcheons, opening to reveal an arrangement of ten drawers of various sizes. The boldly carved giltwood stand with winged cherubs hoisting a laurel wreath within foliate and acanthus leaf swags. Height: 56 in (142 cm) Width: 34 ½ in (88 cm) Depth: 25 in (61 cm) F07.78 Provenance Mallett & Son (Antiques) Ltd, London, June 1957 Private Collection, England Literature Chester Jones, Colefax & Fowler The Best in English Interior Decoration, ill. p.116.
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The cabinet decoration, of whimsical Oriental gardens with flowering shrubs, birds and butterflies, relates to patterns issued in John Stalker and George Parker’s Treatise of Japanning and Varnishing, 1688. The indented-corner tablet set within a broad frame corresponds to that of a 17th century Japanese cabinet illustrated in M. Jourdain and R. Soame Jenyns, Chinese Export Art, London, 1967, fig. 31, and displayed on a similar stand that is carved with putti amongst Roman foliage in the French arabesque manner. A pair of 17th century Japanese lacquer cabinets that are similarly decorated on a white ground are illustrated in T. Murdoch (ed.), Boughton House, The English Versailles, London, 1922, pl. 80, while white-japanned versions, executed in Berlin in the late 17th century by Gerard Dagly (d.1714), are illustrated in H. Huth, Lacquer of the West, London, 1971, figs. 160 – 161, and H. Honour, Cabinet Makers and Furniture Designers, London, 1972, p.63.
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Two George I Gilt Gesso Card Tables
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We are delighted to present two outstanding George I gilt gesso card tables. Very few of these, possibly only four, are known to exist today. These tables all share similarities in design and form. Their vocabulary of strap-work, scrolling foliage, and shellwork was first promoted in around 1700 by the engraved Oeuvres of William Marot (d. 1752). Pieces similarly embellished were created by the Pelletier family of carvers and gilders, who supplied pier tables, mirrors and candle stands and frames to William III and Queen Anne among other notable patrons, as did their successor as Royal cabinet-maker, James Moore. One of the tables is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (illustrated below). The table is said to have come from the collections of the Earls of Carnarvon at Highclere Castle, Berkshire. The table was one of the few gilded pieces acquired by the esteemed English furniture collector Irwin Untermyer before he bequest his collection to the museum. It is likely that one of the tables in our collection is the pair to the table at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In addition to sharing exactly the same dimensions and overall form, the elaborate strap-work design on the top of the table is identical. In addition to the example at the Metropolitan Museum and the two in our collection, which we will be presenting in the following pages, a fourth example is known in a private collection in the UK. This example was previously in the collection of Winston Guest and sold at Sotheby’s in 1967.
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A George I Gilt Gesso Card Table England, circa 1720 The rectangular top with rounded eared corners decorated with a central patera surrounded by oak leaf sprays, acorns, shells and strap-work, opening to a lined playing surface with gaming wells and paterae carved candle rests, over a similarly carved frieze, on acanthus-carved turned tapering legs ending in foliate carved pad feet, with a circular label to the underside inscribed KWT. Height: 30 in (76 cm) Width: 34 in (87 cm) Depth: 17 in (33 cm) Provenance Possibly from the collections of the Earls of Carnarvon, Highclere Castle Mallett & Son (Antiques) Ltd, 1954 Literature Antique Collector, December 1959, ‘Hunton Manor’, p. 206 (shown illustrated in the Drawing Room) L. Synge, Mallett Millennium, London, 1999, p. 145, fig. 164. This table’s striking similarity with the example at the Metropolitan Museum of Art suggests this table may have come from the collections of the Earls of Carnarvon at Highclere Castle. J11.158
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A George I Gilt Gesso Card Table England, circa 1710 An exceptional and very rare George I gilt gesso concertina-action card table. The shaped foldover top decorated throughout with deeply carved scrolling foliage centred by a flower head on a pounced ground, the top opening to reveal a velvet lined playing surface with counter wells and candle stands, the whole standing on slightly cabriole legs terminating in claw and ball feet. Height: 29 in (74 cm) Width: 33ž in (86 cm) Depth: 16½ in (42 cm) Provenance Mallett & Son (Antiques), Ltd. G07.67
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A Pair of George I Gilt Gesso Torcheres England, circa 1725 A very fine pair of George I gilt gesso torcheres. The circular dished tops each carved with a stylised trefoil of acanthus and strap-work, above a turned conical stem decorated with carved husks and foliage, standing on a tripartite base carved with acanthus leaves on a punched ground on oval pad feet. Height: 36½ in (93 cm) Diameter: 16½ in (42 cm) Provenance Ronald Phillips Ltd. Private Collection, USA AD.68
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A George III Giltwood Mirror Attributed to William and John Linnell
England, circa 1760 An exceptional George III giltwood overmantel mirror. The central rectangular plate within a Cscroll and foliate border surrounded by shaped marginal mirrors within foliate C-scroll and rocaille borders and foliage trails surmounted by a flower-filled basket and cartouche. The glass largely original. Height: 103 in (262 cm) Width: 52 in (132 cm) L06.34 William and John Linnell This ornate giltwood mirror embodies the 'Modern' or 'French' style and relates to a design by the cabinet-making father and son partnership of William and John Linnell of Berkeley Square, London. The Linnell firm was one of the most prominent firms of cabinet-makers of the second half of the 18th century, with commissions for a number of important country houses including Badminton House, Osterley Park, Syon Park, Alnwick Castle, Shardeloes, Bowood House, and Lansdowne House. The design of the present mirror with its distinctive cresting of a basket of flowers is reflected in a drawing of circa 1755-60 for a pier glass by the Linnell firm, executed as a pair of mirrors, for Sir Molyneux Cope, 7th Bt. for Bramshill, Hampshire. A related overmantel mirror was supplied in 1759 to George William Coventry, 6th Earl of Coventry for 'Lady Coventry's Dressing Room,' Croome Court, Worcestershire. Maria Gunning, the 6th Earl of Coventry’s wife, was renowned for her beauty, although she ironically died as a victim of the heavy make-up she wore. The mirror’s impressive size at over seven feet tall relates to the invoice dated 18 August 1759, and was likely sold from the house in the 1948 auction of the Croome Court furniture.
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A George I Gilt Gesso and Japanned Lowboy In the manner of James Moore England, circa 1715 A very rare and important George I gilt gesso and black and gilt japanned lowboy in the manner of James Moore. The top and drawer fronts and sides decorated with panels of black japanned working with gilt chinoiseries. Height: 27Ÿ in (69 cm) Width: 32 in (81.5 cm) Depth: 19ž in (50 cm) Provenance With Hotspur Ltd. Private Collection, USA D10.226 This exceptional table with its striking combination of gilt-gesso and japanned decoration bears a great similarity to one at Longford Castle, Wiltshire which was probably supplied for Sir Jacob de Bouverie (created 1st Viscount Folkestone in 1747) when he succeeded his brother in 1736. The Longford Castle dressing-table is illustrated in R. Edwards' The Dictionary of English Furniture, and P. Macquoid The Age of Mahogany. Lord Folkestone employed many of the leading cabinet-makers of his day, notably Benjamin Goodison. Goodison was apprenticed to James Moore from about 1720 and succeeded him as cabinetmaker to the Royal household - and it would seem likely that the two collaborated with the supply of furnishings to Longford Castle during this period. A related set of chairs, attributed to Moore, were sold from the collections at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, 8th December 1994.
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A George I Gilt Gesso Centre Table England, circa 1720 An exceptional and very rare George I gilt gesso centre table. The top with re-entrant corners and carved with an elaborate design of acanthus leaves amongst strap-work, standing above a concave frieze further decorated with acanthus leaves and centred by a shell on each side, raised on cabriole legs with boldly scrolled acanthus leaves to the knees and scroll feet. Height: 30¼ in (77 cm) Width: 20¼ in (51 cm) Depth: 31¼ in (79 cm) Provenance Mallett & Son Antiques, London Sir John Gooch Bt. Private Collection, USA Literature Mallett Spring Catalogue, 1997 AD.67
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A Pair of Giltwood Armchairs Attributed to John Linnell England, circa 1770 An exceptional pair of George III carved giltwood armchairs attributed to John Linnell. Each magnificently carved in the finest detail, with a gilt imbricated framed upholstered back surmounted by wreathed cabochon cresting, with padded arms with foliate and ball carved giltwood terminals, the seat upholstered à chassis above an outstanding guilloche carved seat frame, the tapered front legs also magnificently carved with imbricated detailing, the rear legs elegantly splayed. Upholstered in damson silk damask. Height: 37¾ in (96 cm) Width: 24 in (61 cm) Depth: 27½ in (70 cm) Comparative Literature H. Hayward and P. Kirkham, William and John Linnell, 1980 H. Hayward, ‘The Drawings of John Linnell in the Victoria & Albert Museum’, Furniture History, 1969 M01.04 There is a watercolour chair-pattern design by Linnell, dated circa 1770-75, which bears almost identical comparison to the present chairs. The drawing forms part of the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. The drawing shows the carved medallions on both the top of the carved back and the centre of the front seat rail, the same imbricated tapered front legs and plain splayed back legs, as well as the magnificent guilloche carving to seat frame and the acanthus carved back supports, and possibly even upholstery à chassis. The most definitive signature feature of Linnell’s work is the carved ball or ‘pearl’ clasped by acanthus leaves that form the terminals of the armrests of these chairs. The same feature appears in the drawing and can clearly be seen on a number of suites of chairs known to have been supplied by the firm.
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A Pair of George III Giltwood Demi-Lune Tables Attributed to Thomas Chippendale England, circa 1770 An outstanding pair of George III giltwood pier tables in the neoclassical taste. Each with magnificent fossilized marble tops with an ormolu beaded edge above a conforming frieze centred by a rectangular tablet carved with a flower-head flanked by honeysuckle, the frieze with a fish-scaled ground alternating with flower heads and fluted panels, raised on acanthuscarved circular tapering fluted legs on toupee feet. Height: 36¾ in (92 cm) Width: 44¾ in (114 cm) Depth: 22½ in (57 cm) Provenance The collections of The Earls of Pembroke, Wilton House Mallett & Son (Antiques), Ltd Private Collection, USA Literature Lanto Synge, Great English Furniture, London, 1991, pp. 6-7 Lanto Synge, Mallett Millennium, London, 1999, p. 21
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A George III Giltwood Mirror In the manner of John Cobb England, circa 1775 A very fine George III giltwood mirror. The rectangular plate with a moulded gilt border with rocaille decoration at the base corners and stylised acanthus on the top corners. The whole flanked by extremely elegant elongated C scrolls of a particularly light and airy design. The sides further decorated with scrolling foliage and carved flowers. The top of the mirror surmounted by a magnificent carved anthemion with trailing harebells. Restoration and replacements to carved decoration. Width: 37½ in (95 cm) Height: 78ž in (200 cm) Provenance The collection of Lady Nutting, Chicheley Hall, Buckinghamshire AD.39 The mirror closely relates to the work of the cabinetmaker John Cobb, who worked in partnership with William Vile, and the two undertook a number important commissions including King George III and Queen Charlotte. Cobb’s work epitomized the neo-classical taste for restrained silhouettes, while he also incorporated decorative embellishments in the form of C-scrolls, acanthus leaves, and other classic design elements that created a remarkably light and delicate effect to the overall appearance of his work. The lightness is apparent in the use of the elongated C- and S-scrolls framing this simple rectangular plated mirror. The rather curious presence of the hanging acanthus decoration is repeated in a pair of giltwood pier glasses likely supplied by Cobb to John, 2nd Baron Monson for Broxbournebury, Hertfordshire. This pair of mirror similarly features a rectangular mirror plate embellished with elongated, stylised C-scrolls.
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A Pair of Louis XVI Giltwood Open Armchairs Attributed to Sulpice Brizard France, circa 1775 A very fine pair of Louis XVI giltwood open armchairs. The oval backs with moulded carved frames with rope-twist design above padded arms with knop ends and bowed seats with guilloche carved rails, standing on elegant tapering fluted legs with bell flowers and terminating in turned feet. Height: 33½ in (85 cm) Width: 24¾ in (63 cm) Depth: 26¾ in (68 cm) Literature Mallett, Chairs: Seated in Splendour, 2001, p. 61 Comparative Literature A very similar pair of armchairs is illustrated in Pierre Kjellberg, Le Mobilier Francais du XVIII Siècle, 1989, p 119. M05.37 Sulpice Brizard (b. 1735) was a French cabinet maker who became a master in 1762 and established his workshop in the rue de Cléry. Brizard is renowned for his work as a chair maker in the late Louis XVI style with its detailed carving and elegant proportions. Brizard’s chairs often feature the rope-twist design in the spiral motif featured on the upper backs of these frames.
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A Japanese Black and Gilt Lacquer Cabinet on Giltwood Stand The cabinet Japanese, circa 1720 An exceptional Japanese Edo period black and gilt lacquer cabinet decorated throughout, including the top, with mountain landscape scenes, with a pair of doors with copper engraved mounts, hinges and lock-plates opening to reveal ten drawers of varying sizes similarly decorated with foliage, the interior doors decorated with birds and flowers within a nashiji border, the sides of the cabinet decorated with foliage and copper carrying handles. The cabinet now on a modern gilt stand. Height: 63¾ in (162 cm) Width: 40¼ in (102 cm) Depth: 21¼ in (54 cm) K10.100a
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A George III Giltwood Girandole Attributed to Thomas Chippendale England, circa 1765 An exceptional George III giltwood girandole attributed to Thomas Chippendale. This girandole is characteristic of the exuberance of English rococo design found in the work of Thomas Chippendale and Thomas Johnson; a ho-ho bird with outstretched wings stands on a scrolled acanthus support, the asymmetrical frame composed of conjoined C-scrolls, acanthus leaves, flowering branches and a rockwork bottom with flowerheads, the pierced apron composed of conjoined ruffle-carved C-scrolls, the ancient overgrown pilasters, the whole retaining most of the original gilding. Provenance See also the pair of girandoles supplied by Thomas Chippendale in 1759 to the Earl of Dumfries for the Dining Room of Dumfries House, which were designed to embellish the chimneypiece and flank the overmantel portrait of the 5th Earl of Dumfries by Thomas Hudson displayed in the Dining-Room.
Chippendale is known to have supplied a number of pairs of girandoles included documented examples to Merhsam-le-Hatch for Sir Edward Knatchbull, Nostell Priory for Sir Rowland Winn and Harewood House for Edwin Lascelles. Literature For related designs see Thomas Chippendale, The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director, 1762, 3rd ed., pl. LXXVIII.
Height: 53 in (134.5 cm) Width: 25 in (63.5 cm) E10.98
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A Pair of George I Giltwood Torcheres Attributed to James Moore
England, circa 1720 A magnificent pair George I giltwood torcheres in the manner of James Moore, each with a circular dished top with tapering acanthus wrapped underside above a paneled faceted shaft carved with foliage, strap-work and husk swags on double S-scroll supports. Height: 39½ in (100 cm) Diameter of top: 12 in (31 cm) G10.108 This pair of torcheres would have formed part of an early 18th century pier set, supplied en suite with tables and mirrors, by a cabinet-maker such as James Moore (d. 1726). The ‘Roman’ pattern for these tripod torcheres, which could be used to hold a vase or candelabra, was invented at the French court in the late 17th century and popularized by William III’s ‘architect’ and ornamentalist Daniel Marot (d. 1752) in his Oeuvres, 1703. Certain design elements in these torcheres, such as similar Roman tripod claw-inspired scrolled feet, have marked affinities with a torchere in the Royal Collection at Hampton Court supplied by James Moore, circa 1710-15 (see R. Edwards and M. Jourdain, Georgian Cabinet-Makers, London, 1955, p.135, fig. 30). A virtually identical pair of torcheres attributed to James Moore, but with associated plinths, were sold anonymously Sotheby’s London, 5 July 1996, lot 16.
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A Queen Anne Giltwood Mirror England, circa 1710 A charming early 18th century Queen Anne period gilt framed mirror. The lovely original bevelled plate mounted in a simple giltwood frame decorated with punching and stylised foliage, with twin brass candle arms. Height: 32Ÿ in (82 cm) Width: 17ž in (45 cm) I12.141
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A George II Giltwood Table In the manner of William Kent
England, circa 1730 An exceptional George II carved giltwood table in the manner of William Kent, with a boldly gadrooned edge above a central mask flanked by scrolling acanthus leaves and trailing harebells, with swags of carved flowers, and standing on carved cabriole legs surmounted by superbly carved shells and stylised flowers and foliage which terminate in magnificent ball and claw feet, with a later Portoro Nero marble top. Height: 34¾ in (88 cm) Width: 43¾ in (110 cm) Depth: 24¾ in (63 cm) K10.100a
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The table reflects the influence of William Kent and his circle with its inclusion of the central mask and draped floral garlands. A drawing in the Victoria & Albert Museum by Kent shows his design for a side-table at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, which was published in John Vardy, Some Designs of Mr. Inigo Jones and Mr. William Kent (1744, pl. 41). This design features the prominent central carved mask and dramatic floral swags. The present table also shares a particularly close affinity to the designs in William Jones’s publication, The Gentleman or Builder’s Companion (1739) for ‘Frames to Tables’ (pl. 28, 30). These designs include the distinctive use of the carved mask on the central frieze combined with draped garlands and acanthus scrolls. It is notable that the present table features shell carved cabriole legs and ball and claw feet, whereas most of the designs show the scrolled canted legs and feet. These design features might align this piece with the slightly later designers of the George II era, including Matthias Lock, who incorporated dramatically carved ball and claw feet on a number of designs.
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A Pair of Louis XV Giltwood Bergeres Stamped Pothier France, circa 1750 A very fine and unusually large pair of Louis XV giltwood bergères stamped Pothier. The frames carved with fluting and generously scrolled. Each with a horse shoe back terminating in scroll arms and a serpentine seat rail, standing on cabriole legs. Height: 40 in (103 cm) Width: 30 in (76 cm) M04.25 Jean-Jacques Pothier was working in France throughout the reign of both Louis XV and Louis XVI, and his work reflects the characteristics of the rococo and neo-classical taste during each period. He became a maÎtre-menuisier in 1750.
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A Pair of George III Giltwood Consoles In the manner of James Wyatt
England, circa 1790 A fine and rare pair of small scale George III period giltwood neo-classical console tables, in the manner of James Wyatt. The demi-lune shaped tables with friezes carved with theatrical swags and beaded decoration and standing on elegant tapered and fluted legs. With Vert de Mer marble tops. Of fine quality and a particularly useful small size. Height: 31 in (79 cm) Width: 31½ in (80 cm) Depth: 14ž in (37.5 cm) J08.105
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A Pair of George III Giltwood Mirrors In the manner of Thomas Chippendale
English, circa 1765 A very fine and rare pair of George III giltwood oval mirrors, in the manner of Thomas Chippendale, of particularly accomplished drawing and proportion. The frames superbly carved throughout with borders of foliage and floral entwined C-scrolls, the base of each with a carved sheep and lamb within a C-scroll cartouche, the top of each mounted with a superbly carved ho-ho bird. Width: 35½ in (90 cm) Height: 61ž in (157 cm) AD.04
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A Queen Anne Style Giltwood Sofa In the manner of Lenygon & Morant
England, circa 1880 A magnificent giltwood upholstered sofa, almost certainly by Lenygon & Morant, in the Queen Anne style, beautifully upholstered in slate grey velvet. Height: 46 in (117 cm) Width: 86 ½ in (220 cm) Depth: 33 ½ in (85 cm) K07.69 Lenygon & Morant were the leading cabinetmakers of the Edwardian age who specialised in re-creating furniture that evoked the Queen Anne and William & Mary taste. In 1904, Francis H. Lenygon founded Lenygon & Co, and in 1909 he merged his business with the upholstery firm Morant & Co. and took up premises at 31 Old Burlington Street. In the same year, the publication The Decoration and Furniture of English Mansions during the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries by Margaret Jourdain came out, and the book featured a series of illustrations showing a number of pieces acquired by the firm in situ at their Burlington Street studio. Lenygon made a name for himself by acquiring complete period rooms, including a Dutch Painted Room from Groningen, Holland and others, which were described as ‘the most interesting and important complete room[s] – both historically and artistically – which has ever been exhibited (Lenygon & Morant, Description of the Painted Room in the Collection of Messrs Lenygon & Co. Ltd, 1910). The firm received commissions by a number of prominent patrons, including the Royal family, and the firm held royal warrants under four kings: Edward VII, George I, Edward VIII, and George VI. They succeeded in creating a great deal of furniture reproduced in the seventeenth and early eighteenth century taste. Lenygon & Morant were the leading cabinetmakers of the Edwardian age who specialised in creating furniture that evoked the Queen Anne and William & Mary taste.
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A Pair of French Giltwood Wall Brackets France, circa 1720 A fine pair of French giltwood wall brackets of large scale, the rectangular tops with fluted and stiff leaf moulded edges centering on scrolling foliage, the pierced scrolling console supports carved with bell flowers and centred by a large scrolling acanthus, the cross-hatched backs with pierced acanthus leaf carved surrounds. One Regence period early 18th century, the other 19th century. Width: 18½ in (47 cm) Height: 17 in (43 cm) Depth: 11 in (28 cm) H07.55
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A George II Irish Giltwood Mirror Ireland, circa 1760 A very fine George III period Irish carved giltwood mirror, the bevelled plate held within a finely carved flat relief highly decorated frame surmounted by a basket of flowers, the base with a carved scallop shell and the sides with trailing foliage and flowers, all amongst a plethora of scrolls, flowerheads and leaf fronds. This flat relief form of carved decoration in the giltwood frame is typically associated with Ireland, as is the use of a basket of flowers for the central cresting. Height: 47Ÿ in (120 cm) Width: 30ž in (78 cm) Provenance Private Collection, Ireland Comparative Literature For a mirror of very similar form: The Knight of Glin and James Peill, Irish Furniture, 2007, p.260.261, fig. 222 which shows a mirror probably supplied to Sir Laurence Parsons, 3rd Bt., for Birr Castle, Co. Offaly. AD.10
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MACKINNON fine furniture and works of art
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