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MALLETT at Bourdon House jf.

2 Davies Street London W1 and at I 4 l New Bond Street London W1

Mallett at B o u r d o n H o u s e Ltd

Mallett & S o n (Antiques) Ltd

2 Davies Street

141 New Bond Street

London W 1 K 3 D J

London W I S 2BS

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7629 2444

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7499 7411

Fax: +44 (0)20 7499 2670

Fax: +44 (0)20 7495 3179

Thomas Woodham-Smith Director

Lanto Synge Managing Director

Henry Neville Director

T h e H o n Peter Dixon Director Paula H u n t Director Giles Hutchinson Smith Director

Felicity Jarrett Associate Director

James Harvey Director Fiona Barker Annabel D'Arcy

John Smith Associate Director

Timothy Langston

Richard Cave Associate Director

Nicholas Kilner

Jeremy Garfield-Davies Associate Director Tarquin Bilgen Charles Mackinnon Ainslie Marchant

M A L L E T T PLC DIRECTORS

George Magan* Chairman Lanto Synge Chief Executive T h e H o n Peter D i x o n Paula H u n t Giles H u t c h i n s o n Smith Thomas Woodham-Smith H e n r y Neville Rex Cooper* T h e H o n Mrs S i m o n Weinstock* Simon de Zoete* *Non executive

VISIT O U R WEBSITE www.mallettantiques.com

Email: antiques@mallett.co.uk

MALLETT

AT

B O U R D O N

HOUSE

Introduction Mallett at Bourdon House is pleased to present this year's Autumn catalogue. With the breadth and variety of the stock illustrated we can only capture the flavour of the shop and hope that it will act as an enticement to visit us here in London. Perhaps the greatest frustration for us is that new stock is arriving every day and we cannot illustrate all the newest things. O u r most significant development this year is that for the first time we can offer yvorks from the twentieth century. O f particular note from this new section are the rosewood games table and the shagreen and palmwood standard lamp.

T h e most exciting project for all of us at Mallett this year has been developing our premises in New York at 929 Madison Avenue. We are planning to open in the spring of next year. T h e shop will stock pieces from all departments of the group and will also carry details and descriptions of everything in London. In this way we will be able to offer an advisory service as well as selling what is on show in Manhattan. We will be staffing the shop with our experienced current employees and each one will be happy to help with anything to do with Bourdon House.

T h e two Mallett shops together will be exhibiting in N e w York at the International Show in October. We are delighted that the show is returning to the 7th Regiment Armory after a year's absence following the tragedy of September 11th. In addition we are showing for the first time at the San Francisco Fall Antiques Show, which is also in October. Please contact us if you would like tickets to either of these events.

Finally we hope that you enjoy the catalogue and we look forward to answering any questions you may have.

MALLETT

AT B O U R D O N

This bureau belongs to the most fashionable and luxurious class of

HOUSE

was of metal. Pairs of bureaux, wardrobes and commodes, could,

Louis XIV furniture and would have been an important indicator of its

therefore be adorned with boullework from a single panel, the first in

original owner's wealth and rank. Since only the nobility would have

premiere partie and the second in contre partie. On occasion, both

found a use for writing-furniture at this time, the bureau acquired a

practices were combined within one piece. The designs applied to

higher status than most other forms of furniture and was often

boulle marquetry were generally taken from contemporary engravings

decorated accordingly. The bureau Mazahn takes its name from the

in pattern books, published by the great interior designers of the day

eminent statesman Cardinal Mazarin (1602 - 6 1 ) although this term,

and on this bureau, the chosen subject is floral geometry.

like so many convenient labels in the decorative arts, was not used until the nineteenth century. Yet while the bureau Mazarin is most closely associated with writing-furniture, a number of contemporary engravings show them in use as dressing tables.

The earliest-known example of a bureau Mazarin was made in 1669 and is documented in the 'Journal du Garde-meuble' (the register of furniture supplied to the French royal households) of 1676. This piece was made in cedar by Pierre Gole (1620-84), a Dutch-bom ebeniste who became cabinet-maker to the King and whose work was characterised by the application of exotic veneers of ebony, tortoiseshell and ivory. Gole went on to make more than two dozen such pieces and it is generally accepted that he invented the form, which usually comprised two sets of three drawers, placed either side of a central recess, upon eight tapering legs.

The distinctive marquetry employed on this bureau Mazarin was a tenth-century Italian invention that found its way to France after Henry IV married his second wife, Marie de Medici in 1600. This technique was advanced and perfected by Andre-Charles Boulle (1642-1732), who, on the recommendation of Colbert, became ebeniste du roi in 1672. He also enjoyed the patronage of illustrious private clients and his distinctive style of marquetry became so fashionable that it was taken up by many of his contemporaries.

Boulle marquetry is prepared by gluing sheets of ebony or tortoiseshell together with sheets of brass or pewter. These are then cut according to the requirements of the intended design. When cut,

A large looking-glass, Paris, 1690s. Fashion-plate by

these materials were separated from one another and applied as

Jean de St-Jean. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

veneers in one of two manners. Boulle marquetry was termed

Illustrated in 'Authentic Decor, The Domestic Interior

premiere partie when the brass decoration was inlaid into a dark

1620-1920'. Peter Thornton, publ. Weidenfeld &

ground (ebony or tortoiseshell) and contre partie where the ground

Nicholson, London, 1993.

BOURDON

HOUSE

A transitional mantel clock by Osmond A n o u t s t a n d i n g e a r l y n e o - c l a s s i c a l L o u i s X V g i l t b r o n z e m a n t e l c l o c k . T h e c i r c u l a r d i a l is f r a m e d w i t h a r i n g o f l a u r e l leaves a n d s u r m o u n t e d b y a classical v a s e w i t h r i n g h a n d l e s . T h i s rests o n f a c i n g h i g h relief gilt b r o n z e foliate scrolls, w h i c h in turn s u p p o r t s w a g s , a m o t i f repeated b e l o w the dial. T h e c l o c k s t a n d s o n a

fluted

breakfront column, with a

l a u r e l l e a f b a n d b e n e a t h . T h e w h o l e is s u p p o r t e d o n a r e c t a n g u l a r p l i n t h w i t h c o n c a v e f a c e s e n r i c h e d b y a r e c e s s e d p a n e l o f g u i l l o c h e a n d t e r m i n a t e s in Signed

flattened

b u n feet.

Osmond.

T h e dial s i g n e d L a C r o i x a Paris.

F r a n c e , circa

1760

H E I G H T : I 8 IN ( 4 6

CM)

W I D T H : SVI IN ( 2 2 C M ) D E P T H : 6V2 IN ( I 6 C M )

Illustrated b e l o w right: The d e s i g n o f t h i s c l o c k . B i b l i o t h e q u e

m e a n t h a t t h e f o u n d e r also m a d e t h e original m o d e l . In

D o u c e t , Paris. Illustrated in ' V e r g o l d e t e B r o n z e n 1', H a n s

1 7 4 6 , he had b e c o m e a maltre

O t t o m e y e r a n d P e t e r P r o s c h e l , p. 195, fig. 3 . 1 2 . 5 , publ.

1 7 5 6 he w a s e l e c t e d Jure

Klinkhardt & B i e r m a n n , M u n c h e n , 1 9 9 6 .

O s m o n d s p r e a d and by t h e e n d o f t h e n i n e t e e n t h c e n t u r y

T h e c l o c k is s i g n e d O S M O N D , w h i c h r e f e r s t o R o b e r t

fondeur

des Fondeurs.

en terre

et sable.

In

T h e f a m e of

t h e Parisian b r o n z e f o u n d e r , L o u i s - A u g u s t e B e u r d e l e y ,

O s m o n d w h o was a bronze founder of considerable

o f f e r e d f o r sale c o p i e s d e s c r i b e d as modele

s t a n d i n g in his day and a specialist in c l o c k c a s e s , i n d e e d

O s m o n d w a s a f r i e n d o f Caffiert a n d b o t h w e r e a m o n g t h e

his s t a m p is o n l y f o u n d on c l o c k c a s e s . T h e s i g n i f i c a n c e of

founders w h o signed the articles governing the copying of

t h e O s m o n d s t a m p is intriguing. In s o m e c a s e s , it m a y

designs on 2 1 s t April 1766.

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d'Osmont.

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BOURDON HOUSE

A pair of Louis XVI giltwood chairs A p a i r o f p a r t i c u l a r l y fine L o u i s X V I g i l t w o o d c h a i r s w i t h fine t w i s t e d r o p e c a r v i n g t o t h e u p p e r b a c k a n d d e t a i l e d f o l i a t e c a r v i n g at e a c h a r m . T h e f o u r e l e g a n t l y t a p e r e d legs e n d in t u r n e d feet a n d s u p p o r t a s h a p e d seat rail c a r v e d w i t h a guilloche motif Stamped SULPICE

F r a n c e , circa

BRIZARD.

1775

BACK H E I G H T : 35 I N (89 CM) SEAT H E I G H T : I F A I N (39 CM) W I D T H : 2 5 I N (63 CM) D E P T H : 20V2

IN ( 5 2 CM)

Sulpice Brizard was born in 1 735 and became a master in

carved details complementing each other. A design particular to

1 762. He was a renowned chair maker, who established himself

Brizard, often found on his chairs, is the crisp spiral motif that

in the rue de Clery in 1 765. He is recorded as having produced

runs along the upper section of the backs on these chairs. His

a group of seat furniture during the middle of the eighteenth

work is exhibited in Musee des Arts Decoratifs as well as in the

century in the rococo taste, however, the core of his oeuvre is

Louvre. A very similar pair of chairs was sold in 1986, in Paris

in the later Louis XVI neoclassical style. His work is noted for its

and are illustrated in 'Le Mobilier Frangais du XVIII Slecle'

particularly fine proportions and detailed carving. The illustrated

Pierre Kjellberg, on page 1 19.

pair of chairs shows both these features with all the differently

by

MALLETT AT BOURDON HOUSE

A Sevres biscuit figure A fine Louis XVI Sevres biscuit porcelain figure depicting a semi n u d e female figure leaning o n a c o l u m n w i t h her h a n d marking a page in a book. T h e subject is k n o w n as ' M e d i t a t i o n after a m o d e l by Boizot.

France, circa 1780

H E I G H T : 14V2 I N ( 3 7

CM)

Biscuit was introduced at the Vinoennes-Sevres porcelain

with a beautiful young woman leaning against a stone column,

factory in France in 1 751. The word 'biscuit' in French literally

her index finger marking a page in a closed book. The illustrated

means 'twice cooked' and describes unglazed white porcelain

model is recorded in the Sevres archive and though several

with a smooth surface. This was ideal for the purpose of

examples exist, the original terracotta is no longer extant.

simulating finely polished marble.

Jean-Jacques Bachelier (Paris 1724-1806) appears to have been the first sculptor to favour biscuit as a medium for decorative objects as he was appointed Art Director at Vincennes in 1751 (in 1 752 Louis XV became the major shareholder). Popular early figures made at Vincennes were small models of children drawn from designs by Boucher and larger groups of animals after Oudry. Bachelier would probably have selected these design sources himself. The biscuit figures and groups made of a paste invented by Bachelier are arguably the most famous. The three categories of biscuit sculpture were pieces made for the centrepiece of a dining table, those intended as free-standing sculptures in their own right, and bas relief plaques. In 1757, Etienne-Maurice Falconet (1716-91) became chief modeller at Sevres and eased the factory towards a more neo-classical style. His statuettes usually depicted classical figures and groups taken from Pompeian paintings and antique statues.

Louis-Simon Boizot (1743-1809) specialized in small scale decorative pieces in marble. He trained under Michel-Ange Slodtz (1765-1770). a notable sculptor, in Rome. From 17731800, he assumed the position of Director of Sculpture section of the Sevres porcelain factory. He modelled numerous figures and busts for reproduction in biscuit porcelain. He developed from a sweet classicising Rococo style to a more solid and severe Neo-Classical manner His hard paste porcelain group of a woman and two children representing a personification of Charity, circa 1785 (Getty Museum) is typical of the taste for moralizing subjects popular during the late eighteenth century.

The statuette illustrated here depicts the theme of meditation

10

11

A pair of Empire end tables A rare pair of Empire parcel gilt mahogany end tables or Vide poches'. The tops have a high flared gallery and are enriched with quartered veneers with a roundel at the centre. The tables are supported by three bowing swans and are joined at the base by a concave sided stretcher with an attenuated baluster vase at the centre.

France, circa 1810

H E I G H T : 2 7 IN (69

CM)

D I A M E T E R O F T O P : I4V2

IN (37

CM)

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VT.:

MALLETT AT BOURDON HOUSE

overleaf

A pair of giltwood armchairs A pair o f L o u i s X I V g i l n v o o d armchairs. T h e a r m s are enriched at the b a c k a n d at the terminal with boldly carved a c a n t h u s leaf o r n a m e n t , as are the a r m s u p p o r t s . T h e chairs are s u p p o r t e d o n t u r n e d c o l u m n legs a n d j o i n e d by a n ' H ' f o r m s t r e t c h e r . E a c h j u n c t i o n is e n r i c h e d w i t h a c a r v e d f o l i a t e p a t e r a a n d t h e c e n t r e o f t h e s t r e t c h e r is c a r v e d w i t h a section o f facing boldly m o d e l l e d a c a n t h u s l e a f T h e chairs are covered with R e g e n c e p e r i o d bizarre pattern polychrome needlework.

F r a n c e , circa

1700

BACK H E I G H T : 4 4 IN (112 C M ) SEAT H E I G H T : 17 IN (43 CM) W I D T H : 2 7 IN (68 CM) D E P T H : 28 IN (71 C M )

Louis XIV high back chairs characteristically reveal little w o o d and are almost entirely upholstered. The broad, deep, slightly reclining seats, bold carving and overall corporeal structure were intended for the highest social order combining comfort with grandeur. The straight lines of Louis Xlll's reign are combined harmoniously and balanced with curves that became evident just before the Regence style.

Bizarre pattern needlework was fashionable throughout Europe from 1695 to 1 720, starting with silks and spreading to other fabrics. This highly fashion conscious time was exploited by weavers who found it profitable to change their patterns frequently.

Bizarre pattern was woven according to a wide range of exotic designs composed mainly of curiously swaying and tropical-looking floral and foliate motifs, often off-set by sharply jagged lines and rectangular motifs (for a comparison see a George II carved fruitwood armchair upholstered with eighteenth century French 'bizarre' needlework, Mallett Catalogue 2001, 'Needlework - A Fine Art', p. 62). The chairs here are covered by an extremely bold, regally coloured, bizarre pattern needlework. It was once believed erroneously, that the silks, being influenced by Oriental textiles, had actually been woven in India. They contrast sharply with the formally patterned baroque silks of the seventeenth century and naturalistic patterns of 1 730 onwards and prefigure the taste for asymmetry, characteristic of the forthcoming rococo period.

Illustrated right: A gilt fauteuil, second half of the seventeenth century of similar form, bold carving and decorative motifs to those illustrated here, Musee des Arts Decoratifs , Paris (illustrated. 'Le Siege Franijais' p.49. fig, 30 and 31).

13

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MALLETT

AT

BOURDON

HOUSE

An Empire cast iron gueridon A very unusual Empire cast iron gueridon having a highly unusual top with a profusion of pierced ornament. T h e top appears to be decorated with a spiral of scrolls, however it also has numerous hidden faces and animals, the suits f r o m a pack of cards and stylised celestial ornament. T h e top is supported on a fluted column with acanthus leaf o r n a m e n t at the base. T h e table stands on three scrolling animal legs with acanthus leaf and a n t h e m i o n motif to the upper edge.

France, circa 1820 HEIGHT:

28 IN (71

DIAMETER:

CM)

2 7 IN (69

CM)

16

17

MALLETT

AT

B O U R D O N

HOUSE

A bird diorama A charming and highly unusual group o f French provincial carved and naturalistically painted wooden models o f songbirds. Each bird is shown attached to a twig perch that is, in turn, m o u n t e d on a carved plinth. T h e whole is now framed as a diorama on a background painted as a tree.

T h e birds, France circa 1860 F R A M E D : 54 IN X 4 2 IN ( 1 3 7 C M X 1 0 7 HEIGHT WIDTH:

CM)

A pair of Charles X stools A pair of Charles X rosewood 'X' framed stools inlaid with boxwyod foliate patera at the arm terminals and at the centre of th legs. The arms and the stretcher are formed as double balusters with multiple collars and bobbin turned elements at the centre The stools are inlaid on the outer edges with boxwood stringing and terminate in bun feet of the same timber.

France, circa 1825

A R M H E I G H T : 2 5 IN ( 6 3 C M ) SEAT H E I G H T : 1 9 IN ( 4 8 C M ) W I D T H O V E R H A N D L E S : 2 3 IN (58 C M ) D E P T H : I5I/2 IN ( 3 9 C M )

J

19

A pair of gilt bronze chenets An o u t s t a n d i n g pair of finely chascd gilt bronze Louis XVI chenets. They take the f o r m of a w i n d blown

flaming

vase on a tripod h u n g with swags. The lower end is a fmely w r o u g h t pine cone. T h e t w o stand on a stretcher with applied laurel leaf inotiFs to the sides and a vitruvian scroll to the top. Each end is s u p p o r t e d by

fluted

c o l u m n s . T h e larger has an oak leaf scroll a r o u n d the ba.se.

I'rance, circa 1780

H E I C ; H T : I 6 IN ( 4 1 LENGTH:

17I4

CM)

IN ( 4 4

CM)

i

I'111

$ 1 1 j'

w -

mj/

" i

The identical model is illustrated in Vergoldete Bronzen' p.274 pi.4.11,10. Other examples are in the Musee des Arts Decoratifs. at the Huntingdon Gallery in San Marino and in the Louis XVI room in the Villa Ephrusi illustrated on p.48 of the 'Villa Ephrusi de Rothschild.

MALLETT AT BOURDON HOUSE

A pair of Empire bronze and ormolu ewers A pair of Empire bronze and ormolu ewers with finely wrought spouts surmounted by griffin scroll handles. At the centre of each ewer is a border of hippocampi and masks in low relief At the base there is gilt oak leaf decoration above machined gilt collars. The whole stands on a turned bronze and ormolu stem foot, supported on a block of rouge griotte marble.

France, circa 1810 height:

1 5 IN (38 C M )

21

A pair of giltwood stools A highly unusual pair of Louis XV giltwood stools having a straight back and a serpentine front. The backs are carved with incised foliate ornament whilst the corners and centre of the seat rail are richly carved in high relief with a sunflower carved to imitate the petals being blown in the wind. The stools stand on cabriole legs terminating in a scroll foot.

•N France, circa 1755

H E I G H T : 1 9 IN ( 4 8 C M ) W I D T H : 2 5 IN ( 6 4 C M ) D E P T H : 1 5 IN (38 C M )

BOURDON

HOUSE

A Louis XV iron bracket A n e x c e p t i o n a l a n d r a r e fer forge

Louis X V bracket having a double serpentine top supported by an elaborate interweaving

o f f o l i a t e a n d g e o m e t r i c scrolls.

F r a n c e , circa

1750

H E I G H T : 2 0 IN (51 CM) W I D T H : 1 6 IN (41 CM) D E P T H : 9 IN (23 CM)

As George Himmelheber states in his seminal work 'Cast Iron

furniture of wrought or cast iron was slight, consequently pieces

Furniture' publ. Philip Wilson, 1996, "France in the 18th century

from this era are exceptionally rare. In almost all known cases, as

saw the apotheosis of the ironworkers skill." It»is in the leafwork

in the illustrated example, the strapwork forms the armature

and strapwork of the rococo period that this skill found one of its

around which the rocaille work is applied.

most appropriate expressions. However, the need or desire for

23

An Empire console desserte A particularly fine small scale console desserte by Molitor, the upper and lower shelf inset with finely grained grey white marble. T he top, enclosed by its original brass gallery, stands above a single long drawer veneered in acajowinouchete, with brass and ebony stringing and a central elaborate escutcheon. The upper section stands on elegantly tapering brass fluted legs with finely cast and chascd capitals and bases. The whole stands on turned topie feet, again mounted with turned brass fittings.

Stamped MOLIT'OR

I-rance, circa 1820

M E I C I H T : 3 8 IN ( 9 6 C M ) W I D T F J : 38I/2 IN ( 9 7 . 5 D E P T H : 1 4 IN ( 3 5 C M )

CM)

BOURDON HOUSE

overleaf

A pair of Empire display cases

A pair of vide-cigares A very rare pair of Charles X brass mounted mahogany demi-lune vide-cigares. The brass surmounted column handle can be depressed to open the ash tray compartment.

A pair of Empire mahogany display cases, each having

The whole is supported on turned bun feet.

an elaborately shaped neo-classical pediment above double glazed doors with brass astragals. The doors are

France, circa 1825

flanked by ionic column pilasters and are chamfered towards the glass. Each bookcase is supported on a box

H E I G H T : 2 9 IN ( 7 4 CM)

These vide-cigares

plinth. Throughout, the mahogany is finely figured.

France, circa 1810

w e r e made w h e n smoking b e c a m e particularly

popular a m o n g s t the affluent classes. During the early 1800s, cigars had for the first time begun t o c o m p e t e with snuff, chewing

H E I G H T : 1 1 4 IN ( 2 9 0 CM)

t o b a c c o and pipes. The smoking jacket w a s born, and wealthy W I D T H : 6 6 IN ( 1 6 8

nineteenth century homes w o u l d include a well-ventilated smoking

CM)

D E P T H : 1 9 IN (48 CM)

room, preferably with a w e s t w a r d aspect.

25

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A barometer and thermometer compendium . /'yaw. ^ A French provincial m a h o g a n y barometer and thermometer c o m p e n d i u m . T h e s i l v e r e d d i a l s a r e e n g r a v e d w i t h finely c h a s e d gilt b r o n z e m o u n t s a n d i n s c r i b e d w i t h n u m e r o u s t e m p e r a t u r e s 11 a t 1

o f topographical a n d historical interest.

Signed Lavergne a Lyon.

t

''n •

F r a n c e circa

!»

m

1810 \

-'mm,

H E I G H T : 4 4 IN ( I I I CM) p i

Since first invented by Evangelista Torricelli in 1643. the mercury barometer has been produced in a number of differing shapes and sizes, some more practical than

'r'

others. However, despite its many subsequent

I

incarnations, Torricelli's original 'stick' type retained its

rr

popularity and is arguably the most attractive alternative.

While a significant number of examples survive from this

Sfti' •

period, they are rarely of such fine quality.

A traditional 'stick' barometer of the closed cistern type, this example attracts immediate interest due to its fine cut glass cistern. Mercury-reservoirs on such barometers are usually encased within the wooden frame, the exceptions being either turned ivory or simple glass bulbs. Equally noteworthy is the unusual nature of the scales on the register-plate. Either side of the main tube are two thermometers, one measuring Fahrenheit, the other Centigrade. Beside the varying temperatures are descriptions and places, Paris 1740 registering at around -10° on both while Syria sits at 60°C and 145°F. Furthermore, the pressure readings along the barometer tube are paired with great mountain ranges and volcanoes, including the Pyrennees, Mount Vesuvius.

Mount Etna and Mount Taurus, all of which finds few precedents elsewhere. Though the work of a provincial maker, this piece is of remarkably high quality.

28

A Louis XV lantern An unusual Louis XV lacquered brass pentagonal lantern. Each panel is surmounted by a foliate arch in low relief and framed with applied foliate scrolls.

The flat surfaces all have shaping to the outer edge.

The lantern is supported from a finely wrought canopy with a smoke cowl, unusually, mounted within its frame.

France, circa 1760

H E I G H T : 3 2 IN (81 C M ) D I A M E T E R : 2 0 IN (51 C M )

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MALLETT

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B O U R D O N

HOUSE

An Empire cartonnier An Empire mahogany cartonnier with finely figured flame mahogany veneers on the top and sides. T h e cartonnier contains two columns of seven red morocco leather boxes retaining their original gilt tooling and brass ring handles.

T h e boxes are retained by two hinged, lockable pilasters.

France, circa 1810

HEIGHT:

5 6 IN ( 1 4 2

CM)

WIDTH:

37 IN (94

CM)

DEPTH:

15 IN (38

CM)

A cartonnier or serre papier'\s a piece of furniture fitted with

a cartonnier might either stand as an independent piece of

pigeon-holes or compartments. Its purpose was to hold

furniture or might have been designed as an accessory to a

papers and documents thus functioning as a gentleman's

particular writing table or bureau plat.

filing cabinet. In the eighteenth and early nineteenth century

.30

VV/V/^/-!/vrv

^oiMffiaMaBKt

31

BOURDON

HOUSE

Voltaire and Rousseau A pair of Louis XVI, bronze busts of the philosophers Voltaire and Rousseau cast in exceptionally fine detail and retaining their original patina. Each is mounted on a gris St Anne socle with a finely chased gilt bronze capital and foot.

France, circa 1790 HEIGHT: 10V2

IN <26 CM)

Table-bronzes, popular in antiquity, returned to vogue in the

Voltaire and Rousseau lie entombed opposite each other in

Renaissance and are still admired today. Their size affords them a

the Pantheon in Paris, two of France's greatest philosophers, yet

certain degree of intimacy, akin to that of a household object. The

men whose views could not have been further removed from each

subject matter of such bronzes varied considerably but a

other While Voltaire believed that man distinguished himself

significant amount of historical portrait busts were cast. Often as

through education and reason, Rousseau saw this as the

described by Jennifer Montagu in her book 'Bronzes', publ.1963, 'a

explanation of why men became in his view 'unnatural' and

treasured adornment of the scholar's desk', such famed subjects

corrupted. Such conflicting ideologies led to the famed intellectual

convey an element of inspiration, or at least prestigious

conflict between the two men, as celebrated by William Blake in his

association. The celebrated differences between Voltaire and

poem Mock On, Mock On. Voltaire.

Rousseau make for an appropriate pairing.

32

Rousseau.

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A pair of Sevres vases A fine q u a l i t y p a i r o f C h a r l e s X S e v r e s p o r c e l a i n c a m p a g n a f o r m v a s e s d e c o r a t e d o n a d a r k b l u e g r o u n d w i t h silver, p l a t i n u m a n d gilt neo-classical o r n a m e n t . T h e w h o l e s t a n d i n g o n a n integral f a u x p o r p h y r y p l i n t h . T h e bases b e a r i n g t h e Sevres f a c t o r y m a r k s f o r 1 8 2 9 .

France, 1829

HEIGHT: 10V2 IN ( 2 7 CM)

Sevres, the national porcelain manufacturer of France, was first

sale of Sevres products in his private dining room at Versailles

established at Vincennes in 1 738, before rnoving to Sevres in

from 1758. The gilding is particularly interesting on these vases

1756. In 1 759 the factory was taken over by the King, Louis XV,

as it uses platinum as well as gold and silver, an extravagant

who became its leading client and salesman, holding an annual

technique associated with the Sevres factory.

33

A Charles X rosewood gueridon A Charles X rosewood gueridon profusely inlaid on the top in a continuous motif of interlocking and alternate roses and wild flowers. At the centre of the top is an outstanding vellum still life of flowers, signed and dated, Azelia Maspero, eleve de Madame Delaporte, 1836. T h e top is supported by a frieze, inlaid with geometric neo-classical ornament. This, in turn, stands on three scroll legs having bowing swans head capitals and acanthus marquetry to the scrolling base. T h e whole is supported by a shaped concave sided tripod plinth terminating in block feet.

France, 1836 H E I G H T : 3 0 IN ( 7 6 CM) D I A M E T E R OF T O P : 3 6 IN ( 0 1 C M )

."iijt

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Madame Delaporte probably refers to Rosine Antoinette

Delicately inlaid rosewood furniture such as this became popular in France mainly as a result of the success of the designs of Jean-Josse

Delaporte who was a pupil of Redoute. Similarities between his

Caron I'Atne (1773-1838). The pieces he produced in the brief period

famous series of rose prints and the style of this floral vellum

between 1831 and 1838, as well as his publication, in 1836, of sixty

picture are clearly apparent. Unfortunately, a fire in her shop in

designs under the title 'Le Manuel de I'ebeniste', would have

1838, destroyed all her paintings and gold medals which she had

considerable influence on contemporary tastes. In the few short years

won in numerous exhibitions. Only one work of hers remains in a

that he actually produced furniture, Caron supplied pieces to many

public collection, a branch of roses at the Musee de Pontoise.

noble clients, his distinctive elaborate inlays finding great demand.

35

j i f ^

M-

36

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A pair of Dutch side chairs A n exceptional pair o f early 1 8 t h c e n t u r y D u t c h w a l n u t h i g h - b a c k e d side chairs. T h e backs are s u r m o u n t e d by facing scrolls w i t h a foliate cresting. T h e chairs h a v e a pierced splat c a r v e d with a c a n t h u s o r n a m e n t . E a c h s t a n d s o n scroll f r o n t a n d b a c k legs, the f r o n t legs b e i n g c a r v e d at the k n e e w i t h a h o n e y s u c k l e s w a g . T h e legs are j o i n e d by an e l a b o r a t e i n t e r l o c k i n g s c r o l l s t r e t c h e r s i m i l a r l y e n r i c h e d w i t h f o l i a t e c a r v i n g in l o w r e l i e f

L o w C o u n t r i e s , circa

BACK H E I G H T : 4 9 SEAT H E I G H T :

1710

IN ( I 2 4

18 IN ( 4 6

WIDTH:

10

I N (51

CM)

DEPTH:

18 IN ( 4 6

CM)

CM)

CM)

This pair of side chairs was made in the Low Countries in the early decades of the eighteenth century. The elongated back with its profusely carved splat is a particularly Dutch feature and the carved ornament upon it s h o w s the influence of late seventeenth century designers such as Daniel Marot (1663-1752). His Livres

d'Appartements.

published in A m s t e r d a m around 1700, detailed designs for dining chairs with w o o d e n splats using interlaced strapwork, masks, armorials, shells and foliate scrolls and was a popular source for cabinetmakers working in the first quarter of the eighteenth century. Marot's principal contribution to the development of interior design was his predilection for unity within a room. The shaped splat on this type of chair provided an ideal surface for carving, enabling it to blend with the carved or moulded stucco ornament on the walls of a fashionable room. Indeed, it is likely that the decoration on these high-backs was closely related to the themes of the interior for which they w e r e commissioned.

The splat-back first appeared in Holland and England around 1 700, although it was not until the 1 720s that this form would b e c o m e synonymous with those countries. It is difficult to determine which country adopted it first although its origins are certain - both nations traded with China and had stronger links with the East than any other European nation. The splat had been an important component of Chinese seat furniture since the Middle A g e s and the European fascination with all things Chinese would account for its instant popularity back at home

37

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A couchant greyhound

An Empire console

A mid 19th century bronze model of a couchant greyhound

A particularly fine and elaborately carved mahogany

after Ravrio (1759-1814). Now mounted on a white and

console, the upper shelf supported by two winged terms

porter marble stand.

with finely detailed female heads and ebonised Pompeian neo-classical motifs beneath, each leg ending

F r a n c e , circa

1850

in a lion's paw foot. T h e finely grained mahogany has many contrasting ebonised details reflected in the

HEIGHT:

12V2 I N ( 3 2 C M )

WIDTH:

16V2 I N ( 4 2

DEPTH:

6V2 I N ( 1 7

antique mirror plate behind.

CM)

Attributed to Charles-Joseph Lemarchand (1758-1826)

CM)

F r a n c e , circa

1815

H E I G H T : 3 7 IN ( 9 4

CM)

WIDTH:

3 0 IN ( 7 6

CM)

D E P T H : 1 6 IN (41

CM)

A n a l m o s t identical piece e m p l o y e d as a cabinet s t a n d is illustrated in l e mobilier

38

Frangais

du XlXeme

siecle'.

p.

412.

Ma

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A tole lantern A very unusual Louis Philippe tole hexagonal lantern, each face with a stylised shell cresting supported by ' C and 'S' scrolls.

Between the doors are polychrome stylised flowers held in place by ribbon bows. The lantern is held by a serpentine canopy decorated with naturalistically painted leaves hung with swags of roses and other flowers.

France, circa 1845

HEIGHT: 2 6 IN ( 6 6 CM) W I D T H : 1 6 IN (41 CM)

Tole is made from tin plated sheet iron covered with a black asphaltum varnish, heat dried and decorated in gold and colours to simulate oriental lacquer The process was first developed in England in the late seventeenth century. It spread across Europe in the early eighteenth century, to North America towards the second half of that century and continued to be refined throughout the nineteenth century. Tole was usually decorated either with chinoiserie or with sprays of coloured flowers.

40

% (k^

•v^r

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A giltwood bergere A fine quality Louis X V I giltwood cove back bergere having scroll arms and fluted rails and a bow front. T h e bergere stands on turned, tapering, reeded and fluted legs surmounted at the fi-ont with square foliate paterae.

Stamped P. P L U V I N E T (Philippe Joseph Pluvinet, maitre 1754, died 1793)

France, circa 1780

BACK H E I G H T :

38 I N ( 9 6 . 5

SEAT H E I G H T :

19 IN (48

WIDTH:

2 6 IN ( 6 6

CM)

DEPTH:

25 IN ( 6 3 . 5

CM)

CM)

CM)

42

B O U R D O N

HOUSE

A pair of torcheres A n unusual pair o f Louis Philippe parcel gilt torcheres having circular tops with a recessed b a n d o f gilt on the outer edge.

T h e tops are s u p p o r t e d by three attenuated d o u b l e baluster c o l u m n s with gilt collars. T h e whole stands on a concave sided tripod plinth, terminating in boldly modelled lacquered brass claw feet.

France, area 1840

H E I G H T : 42'/2 IN ( I 0 8 D I A M E T E R O F T O P : I2V4

CM) IN (3I

CM)

43

MALLETT AT BOURDON HOUSE

Four Castelli plaques A set of four large-scale mid 18th century Castelli factory polychrome plaques depicting neo-classical landscapes.

Attributed to the Grue family.

Italy, circa 1750 HEIGHT: II IN (28 CM) W I D T H : 8V4 IN (2I CM)

These plaques are a good example of the narrative wares, based on contemporary engravings, that were being produced in Castelli throughout the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Castelli is located in southern Italy, near Naples and it was here that potters would pioneer a new approach to the production of maiolica.

By the 1650s, the heavy earthenware vases and dishes of the previous century, characterised by their bright, bold palettes, went out of fashion and gave way to the new form of maiolica that was produced in Castelli.

This was more delicate than examples from the previous century and used a subtle palette. Most of the wares produced in Castelli were functional, although purely decorative objects such as these plaques were also manufactured. They are more refined than earlier pieces particularly in their use of perspective. The subject matter was inherited from istoriato wares, and included biblical stories, classical heroes and hunting scenes. In these examples the pastoral has been embraced within continuous arcadian landscapes, with classical and gothic ruins, in a manner typical of Francesco Grue and his family who favoured a palette of olive green, yellow and brown.

Their work is closely associated with the last great chapter in the history of Italian maiolica.

46

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overleaf

A pair of Neapolitan commodes A pair of mid 18th century Neapolitan parquetry commodes, each having a writing slide above three drawers of graduating size. The drawers and the sides of each commode are decorated with quartered rosewood veneers and crossbandings in tulipwood and boxwood with a marquetry eight-sided roundel at the centre. The top edge of the front of each commode is inlaid with a quartered herringbone rosewood border.

The commodes have a scrolled bottom edge at the front and sides and terminate in pad feet with a tulipwood moulding at the centre. The commodes retain their original giallo antico marble tops.

Italy, circa 1765

H E I G H T : 3 7 IN ( 9 4 CM)

47

W I D T H : 4 5 IN ( 1 1 4

CM)

D E P T H : 2 4 IN (61

CM)

Eighteenth century Italy was made up of a series of warring city

rope-twist or chequered border, as can be seen on this pair of

feudal states and kingdoms, each governed independently, rather

commodes. It is traditional for commodes of this type to have a

than by a central national government or court. The resulting cultural

marble rather than a wooden top.

variations between the states manifested themselves through

Marble was afforded great prestige in ancient Rome but certain

artistic styles, particularly during the rococo period, when regionally

types were more prestigious than others, their use reserved only for

furniture was markedly different. Parquetry work found favour in the

the most significant commission.

kingdom of Naples where it flourished, examples from this period

One such prized type was Marmor Numidicum, or Giallo

are particularly fine. Characteristically, the heavy parquetry is

Antico, which occupied an exalted position within Roman society.

centred by a flower head or similar motif and contained within a

Found in ancient Numidia in North Africa, this striking yellow stone

was quarried and shipped in bulk by the Romans from the 2nd

column of neatly twenty feet of Numidian stone on the forum,

century BC. This type of marble was so valued that it was

upon which was inscribed PARENTI PATRIAE. Such prestigious

included in some of the most significant monuments of antiquity.

associations remained with Giallo Antico throughout its history.

Fluted columns of Giallo Antico held up the celebrated 2nd

The nature of the can/ing and the finish of these

century A D temple of Venus at Sicca Veneria; a further eight

exceptional marble tops suggest they are original to the

adorned the front of the arch of Constantine, erected by the

commodes. Thus the status associated with the use of Giallo

senate to commemorate his victory over Maxentius in 312 AD.

Antico, when combined with the very fine quality of the

Furthermore, it is recorded that immediately after the

parquetry, suggests these pieces were a particularly significant

assassination of Julius Caesar, the people erected a massive

commission.

MALLETT AT BOURDON HOL'SE

A pier mirror

A porcelain monkey

A very unusual Swedish late 18th century giltwood pier

A large-scale late 19th century Meissen style white

mirror. It is decorated with carved high relief neo-classical

porcelain model of a monkey eating fruit, modelled

motifs set against a simulated porphyry eglomise background.

in naturalistic detail seated u p o n a tree s t u m p which

T h e pediment is enriched with a boldly carved laurel swag

is enriched with flowers and branches.

tied at the apex with a ribbon. At the base of the mirror are Probably Italy, circa 1890

crossed fronds of laurel and oak leaf and around the plate is a finely carved foliate scroll with a beaded inner edge and square

HEIGHT:

corner paterae.

25 IN (63

CM)

Sweden, circa 1780

HEIGHT:

4 9 IN (I25

CM)

WIDTH:

3 2 IN ( 8 1 . 5 CM)

^

White porcelain models of animals such as this first appeared in Europe in the 1 730s, when the German Meissen factory produced a number of them at the behest of Augustus the Strong, King of Poland.

Inspired by the produce of the Chinese Te-hua porcelain factories (known in the West as Blanc de Chine), the models were commissioned to decorate his Japanese palace at Dresden. In theme they were derived from the lead animals of the Labyrinth at Versailles, which depicted Aesop's fables. Among these, the monkey featured prominently.

51

BOURDON

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An Italian demi-lune console A Piedmontese demi-lune gilrwood side table. The frieze is enriched with recessed panels of carved foliate scrolls in high relief, interspaced with boldly carved lion's heads surmounting the legs and a high relief sunflower at the centre.

The table is supported on unusual turned, tapering legs with fluting and foliate carving to the upper section and acanthus leaves with further fluting towards the base. Each leg terminates in a finely carved laurel leaf motif The table retains its original striated grey marble top.

In the manner of G.M.Bonzanigo

Italy, circa 1775

HEIGHT:

34I/2 IN ( 8 6 . 5

WIDTH:

52 IN ( 1 3 2

CM)

DEPTH:

23 IN ( 5 8 . 5

CM)

CM)

Giuseppe Maria Bonzanigo was born in Asti in 1740 and died

screens, cupboards, doors and door surrounds for the Royal

in Turin in 1820.

Palaces, namely the Palazzo Reale and Palzzina Stupinigi.

Like nnany of the more interesting mal<ers of Italian

During his long and distinguished career he established a

furniture, Giuseppe Maria Bonzanigo was primarily a sculptor. In

position for himself as the finest exponent of neo-classicism in

1773, he settled in Turin where he began working for the court.

Piedmont, in the field of carving and decoration.

In 1 787, Vittorio Amadeo III, acknowledging his 'singular

He continued working for the House of Savoy until the

master', appointed him official woodcarver to the Crown with an

French invasion of Piedmont in 1796. Although he lost his Royal

official salary of 200 lire for designing and making two large

commissions with the King after the Restoration, his style

screens and an elaborate fire screen. During the next twenty

remained unchanged during these vicissitudes, although he

years, he executed a considerable number of commodes.

made adjustments to his iconography where necessary.

52

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A curious occasional table A highly unusual Continental occasional table and cabinet. It has a white marble top bordered by a pierced brass gallery and supported by a frieze of finely carved acanthus leaves. The central section is decorated with high relief reeding of well-figured mahogany and opens to reveal a bois clair interior with a single shelf T h e cabinet is supported on a reeded column that has an elaborately carved scrolling acanthus leaf capital, which supports further acanthus leaf carving to the base of the cabinet. The whole stands on reeded, turned scroll legs terminating in brass casters.

Probably Italy, circa 1800

H E I G H T : 3 7 IN ( 9 4 CM) D I A M E T E R : 1 7 IN ( 4 3 C M )

54

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A view of Paestum A fine large-scale early 19th century perspective view of the temples at Paestum showing two shepherds in the foreground.

French school, circa 1800

U N F R A M E D : 2 7 I N X 4 1 IN ( 6 9 C M X 1 0 4 H E I G H T : 2 7 IN ( 6 9

CM)

W I D T H : 4 1 IN ( I 0 4

CM)

CM)

P a e s t u m w a s for centuries a city shrouded in mystery. Originally

divinity of Paestum) dates from around 530 B C . The temple is

known a s Poseidonia, it w a s one of the G r e e k colonies established

particularly unusual in that it has nine columns a c r o s s the ends and

by the A c h a e n s from the north-west Peloponnese. Founded from

a row of columns down the middle of the interior. The third of the

the infamous city of Sybaris, the earliest settlers are believed to

principal temples is dedicated to C e r e s . Dating from around 510

have arrived around the mid-seventh century B C . N a m e d after the

B C , it has been referred to as one of the most prized examples of

most important of their gods, the city flourished and b e c a m e one of

G r e e k architecture in Italy.

the most significant cities in the gulf of Salerno. Around 400 B C it

The city w a s occupied until the latter part of the 9th century

fell to a tribe of local barbarians called the Lucanians, who w e r e

A D , whereupon it w a s abandoned, suffering the combination of a

defeated by the R o m a n s in 273 B C , whereupon the city w a s re-

malaria epidemic and the ever-present threat of the invading

named Paestum.

S a r a c e n s , who had recently occupied nearby Agropolis. Throughout the following centuries, the city remained undisturbed until around

Three great Doric temples dominate the site. The temple of Poseidon (still so called despite being known to have been

1 750 when the ruins w e r e discovered by archaeologists, an event

dedicated to Hera) is thought to date from around 460 B C . It is the

which attracted international interest. S c e n e s depicting P a e s t u m

only existing G r e e k temple with internal colonnades surmounted by

w e r e thus in great demand, ser^/icing the continuing fascination with

smaller Doric columns. Equally interesting is the southernmost of

mysterious lost civilisations.

the temples, the Basilica which, also dedicated to Hera (the main

56

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A grisaille landscape A fine quality early 19th century grisaille drawing of a traveller passing through a rocky landscape.

Signed and dated, C. Reinhart a Roma, 1807 F R A M E D : 31 IN X 39 IN ( 7 9 C M X 9 9

CM)

J o h a n n C h r i s t i a n Reinhart was born in Hof, Bavaria in 1761

1789 for w h o m he executed above all, landscapes and portraits.

and died in Rome in 1847. He studied theology initially in

This appointment enabled him to discover at leisure, the

Leipzig, then devoted himself to painting as a student of A d a m

surrounding Thuringian countryside inspiring spontaneous

Friedrich O e s e r (1717-99). often making copies of classical

sketches as he walked. These sketches show that he had

works, including plaster casts of antique statues. He was greatly

released himself a little from academic constraints achieving a

influenced by Claude Lorrain's liber

free, painterly style whilst faithfully recording nature, yet his

Veritatis'

and on his visit to

Dresden, in 1 783, by the Dutch landscape paintings in the

training meant that he comprehended form and composition.

Gemaldegalerie.

In 1785, he returned to Leipzig w h e r e he met the German

In 1789. he established himself in Rome and w a s one of the major protagonists of the German art movement. There, he

poet, Friedrich Schiller, w h o became a close friend and

was renowned there for eight large landscapes in distemper

undoubtedly affected his developing artistic style. He was

painted in 1825 at the Villa Massini and he executed four

painter to the Duke of Sachsen-Meiningen between 1 786 and

paintings of the same type for King Louis of Baviere.

57

y

i

V

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A German pier mirror

An owl tobacco jar

A n u n u s u a l early 18th c e n t u r y G e r m a n pier mirror.

A n u n u s u a l a n d large scale carved l i m e w o o d S o u t h e r n

T h e cresting is m o d e l l e d in the highly i n d i v i d u a l

G e r m a n t o b a c c o jar, t a k i n g the f o r m o f an owl s h o w n

m a n n e r o f a pair o f b o l d l y carved r i b b o n held curtain

p e r c h e d o n a rock. T h e owl is c a r v e d with fine feather

swags, f l a n k i n g a stylised c a n o p y s u r m o u n t e d by a five-

w o r k , w h i c h retains m u c h o f its original b u r n t w o r k

p o i n t feathered scroll with a d o m e d c a r t o u c h e at the

patination.

centre. T h e sides a n d b a s e o f the m i r r o r are e n r i c h e d with alternate low relief a n t h e m i o n a n d foliate e l e m e n t s

Bavaria, circa 1 8 6 0

against a crosshatched ground.

HEIGHT: 20 IN (51 CM) N o r t h e r n G e r m a n y , circa 1 7 1 0

WIDTH: 10 IN (26 CM)

HEIGHT: 63 IN (160 CM) WIDTH: 34 IN (86 CM)

This magnificent mirror is a remarkable example of the high standards of carving and design that were produced in Germany during the first quarter of the eighteenth csntury.

O J

The culmination of the Thirty Years War (1618 - 48) had brought about a new social order that strengthened the wealth and fortunes of the German aristocracy, encouraging a more sophisticated approach to the planning of their homes. After the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, highly skilled Huguenot Parisian designers and craftsmen were forced into exile, an act that led to the immediate dissemination of French taste and style throughout Northern Europe.

'

In the decorative arts, there has always been a strong national diversity and within each European State existed a wealth of regional variety. In Southern Germany, there is an undeniable link with Italy. Designers in Northern Germany were influenced by those of neighbouring countries, France and Holland. Northern designers took a particular interest in the application of textile designs in their carving, looking to the work of exiled Parisian designers such as. Daniel Marot (16631 752) for inspiration. The combination of plumes with lambrequins in the canopy of this mirror closely resembles the form of an early eighteenth century bed valance, examples of which can be seen in fvlarot's designs for chairs, stools and pelmets Ccirca 1690 - 1702).

59

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An unusual occasional table A highly unusual German mid 18th century occasional table. The scalloped edged top is decorated with Chinese figures in various poses in an aquatic landscape with central pagoda. The top opens with an oversized, decorated gilt hinge and is finely painted with rocky gilt landscape, depicting fishing huts on stilts. The shaped main body of the piece and lower apron are all profiisely enriched with gilt chinoiseries and the legs have elaborate geometric interlacing patterns framing small chinoiserie vignettes, all in low relief Germany, circa 1760

HEIGHT:

2 8 IN ( 7 1

DIAMETER:

CM)

I8'/2 IN ( 4 7

CM)

German lacquer work w a s much influenced by English lacquer designs, particularly from the widely available publication by Stalker & Parker 'A Treatise on Japanning' publ. 1688. Elements of the work on this table, particularly the use of low relief and the white outlining, suggest that it w a s made in Berlin, probably in the second quarter of the eighteenth century. Stylistic similarities may be drawn with designs from the workshop of Gerard Dagly.

This city w a s the centre for many G e r m a n lacquer masters throughout the eighteenth century.

The use of white heightening can be seen not only on lacquer furniture but also on Berlin decorated earthenware and porcelain v a s e s at this period. The particularly authentic architectural details, such a s the fishing huts on the inside lid and also the complex patterning down each leg, reflect the academic interest in the Orient that Dagly pursued under the patronage of Elector Frederick III.

Cf. ' L a c q u e r o f the W e s t ' , Hans Huth, publ.1971. plates 169, 186.

61

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A Russian mahogany bookcase A mid 19th century Russian mahogany two door glazed bookcase. It has a stepped pediment with a brass moulded edge and brass fluted decoration to the central frieze, above which is a recessed triangular panel bordered with a shaped brass moulding. The doors have well figured mahogany fran.es with central glazed panels and elaborate, boldly modelled brass astragals. The interior has four shelves with a brass moulding on each leading edge and are enclosed by doors having canted corners mounted with brass flutes, surmounted and supported by brass square paterae. The sides are also inset with panels, bordered by brass lines. The whole stands on a plinth, inlaid at the centre front with a brass diamond, which is supported on square tapering legs terminating in brass sabots.

Russia, circa 1840

HEIGHT:

8 2 IN ( 2 0 8

CM)

WIDTH:

56 IN ( I 4 2 . 5

CM)

DEPTH:

1 6 IN (41

CM)

62

>

: ;

w SSi'ii.J

.' 1 (

/

m

63

BOURDON tlOUSE

A Baltic chandelier A six branch Baltic chandelier. T h e ring supports six gilt metal candle arms, whose drip pans have been stamped and chased in a leaf pattern and hung with square drops with prisms below. Above the ring is a waterfall of square drops surmounted by a coronet made of graduated circular drops and horizontal rule drops, above these are eight palm fronds, also made of horizontal rule drops. T h e coronet is hung with columns of drops with prisms below. Beneath the ring are four concentric circles with prism drops with one square drop above. T h e finial is a large and hollow pear shaped drop, decorated with flute cutting. T h e whole chandelier is constructed with good quality slightly grey soda glass, which is characteristic of all chandeliers of this period and geographical location.

Possibly Sweden, circa 1810

H E I G H T : 4 FT (122 CM) D I A M E T E R : 3 0 IN ( 7 6

CM)

Sweden at this period had a thriving glass industry with eleven glass houses in production, most of which were capable of producing chandeliers. Russia, particularly around St. Petersburg, had several good glass houses. There were also glass houses in or near the Hanseatic ports. As the skilled glass workers were itinerant, styles were rapidly transferred from one country to another making exact attributions nearly impossible.

^

64

.-I

Ni •It-i?! ci'ti' ft'"

BOURDON

HOUSE

A pair of coved back armchairs A pair of Regency m a h o g a n y coved back armchairs. T h e back rail has scroll terminals a n d supports under the main rail, each element carved in fine detailing with stylised neo-classical motifs. T h e chairs stand on turned reeded legs at the front a n d sabre legs at the back. Each terminates in a brass caster. N o w upholstered in green suede.

Each stamped G I L L O W S .

England, circa 1820

C f An extending dining table s t a m p e d Gillows, illustrated page 7 4 .

BACK

H E I G H T : 31 IN ( 7 9

CM)

SEAT H E I G H T : 18 IN ( 4 6

CM)

WIDTH:

23 IN (58.5 C M )

DEPTH:

2 2 IN (56 C M )

66

A group of ivory tempietti An unusual fine ivory rose engine

A very unusual early 19th century

An early 19th century ivory example

lathe turned tempietto having multiple

ivory rose engine lathe turned double

of rose engine lathe turning, fashioned

tiers ot finely wrought ornament. T h e

box. T h e upper lid ornamentally

as a column of turnings both pierced

whole supported on pierced fluted

turned and stained in a profuse

and ornamental with a small scale

columns in turn standing on a stepped

fashion. T h e upper box is supported

balcony at the s u m m i t and a tempietto

circular plinth. T h e bottom tier is

on three fluted columns to the cover*''

at the base, supported by spiral turned

carved to simulate block work.

of the lower box and is enriched with

columns.

four finials, each turned in a different manner. T h e whole is profusely

England, circa 1810

England, circa 1810

decorated and supported on b u n feet.

H E I G H T : 9 IN (23 CM)

H E I G H T : 1 7 IN ( 4 3 C M )

England, circa 1810 H E I G H T : 1 3 I N (33 C M )

i liie^i , \

IllogUUUiO^

k

m

r^i^sYoDiiJ'''^':'

68

A finely turned early 19th century

An early 19th century ivory rose

An early 19th century outstanding

ivory tempietto having a dome

engine lathe turned tempietto, having

ivory example of rose engine lathe

fashioned from eight flying supports

a reeded cupola supported on four

turning exhibiting a multiplicity of

with a cupola above, supported on

tapering fluted columns terminating in

ornamental pierced elements and

eight fluted columns, in turn standing

a circular plinth, decorated throughout

decorative turnings, loosely designed

on a circular stepped plinth. The

with multiple ornamental turning.

as a Moorish tower.

ivory fence on an ebony stepped stand.

England, circa 1810

England, circa 1810

England, circa 1810

HEIGHT:

whole surrounded by a finely wrought

HEIGHT:

II I N (28

CM)

mill

inn

8 IN ( z o

CM)

"5-1!

^'iiiji

69

HEIGHT:

I5'/2 IN (39

CM)

A mahogany hall bench A g o o d quality Regency mahogany hall bench. T h e ends have a turned arm rest with fluting and turned collars at each end. T h e arm rests are supported on stylised foliate supports. T h e seat has a central panel o f flame mahogany with a reeded outer edge.

Below the seat on all sides are demi-lune turned elements with ball finials. T h e seat stands on turned tapering reeded legs.

In the manner o f George Bullock

^

England, circa 1810

ARM

REST H E I G H T :

SEAT H E I G H T : LENGTH: DEPTH:

42

JVA I N ( 1 8 . 5

2 0 I N (5I

IN ( I 0 7

18 IN ( 4 6

CM)

CM)

CM) " "

CM)

,'f""

V

'm

George Bullock (1782/83-1818), though forgotten for

famous commission came in 1815 when the British

many years, was one of the most significant cabinet-

govennment ordered a suite of furnishings for the exiled

makers of the late Regency period. After a successful

Emperor Napoleon on St. Helena. Bullock stood apart

career as a sculptor and furniture designer in Liverpool,

from amongst contemporary cabinetmakers through his

he moved to London in1814 and established his

use of native woods in the construction of his furniture,

furniture workshop in London at 4 Tenterden Street,

while simultaneously acknowledging the fashion for

Hanover Square. His highly original designs, drawing on

more exotic woods such as rosewood and ebony.

contemporary Greek Revival and Empire styles, many of

Further his designs for details smaller details such as

which were published in Ackerman's 'Repository of

the inlay often included native flora, as well as the

Arts', attracted such distinguished patrons as Sir Walter

standard classical motifs.

Scott and Matthew R. Boulton. Unsurprisingly these sources of inspiration were acclaimed and propagated

Cf. An occasional table attributed to George Bullock,

by numerous contemporary furniture makers. His most

page 72.

70

A black japanned fall front blanket chest A very rare late 18th century black japanned fall front blanket chest. T h e top, the front and the sides are decorated with elaborate gilt chinoiserie landscapes bordered with foliate scrolls. T h e whole is supported on its original pierced black chinoiserie stand. T h e fall front opens to reveal a red painted interior with two shelves.

England, circa 1770

H E I G H T : 4 1 IN ( 1 0 4 CM) W I D T H : 53 IN (I35 CM) D E P T H : 25 IN (63 CM)

This is a rare example of a blanket chest with a fall front, rather than hinged top. This enables the chest to be used as a decorative surface for the display of objects, whilst at the same time having an accessible storage compartment.

71

A Regency occasional table An unusual late Regency mahogany circular occasional table. The top has a reeded edge above a finely wrought, ornamental frieze in brass and ebony. The central stem is richly carved with boldly incised lotus and laurel leaf motifs, supported on a ring of ebony. The whole stands on a square plinth with elaborately turned finials and feet.

In the manner of George Bullock

England, circa 1820 H E I G H T : 2 9 IN ( 7 4 C M ) D I A M E T E R OF TOP: 2 4 IN (6L C M )

Cf. A mahogany hall bench, in the manner of George Bullock, illustrated page 70.

B O U R D O N

HOUSE

An extending dining table by Gillows A fine quality Regency m a h o g a n y extending d i n i n g table having ' D ' ends which are constructed so they may stand alone as side tables. T h e r e are five extra leaves including o n e narrow leaf, which allows the table to be used as a breakfast table. For full extension, the end-frame pulls out a n d bolts together at the centre. T h e table stands on finely carved, boldly reeded baluster legs terminating in large-scale brass castors. T h r o u g h o u t , the m a h o g a n y is o f the finest quality. O n e leaf a later replacement.

Stamped G I L L O W S .

E n g l a n d , circa 1 8 2 0

HEIGHT:

29^/2 IN ( 7 5

CM)

LENGTH

FULLY E X T E N D E D :

LENGTH

CLOSED:

WIDTH:

6 8 IN ( 1 7 3 C M )

52 IN ( I 3 2

I 5 6 IN ( 3 9 7

CM)

CM) JI

73

This versatile dining table has a number of varied forms. As a fully

and construction has been planned, which makes this table the acme

extended dining table it could seat fourteen people and yet when

of its type.

folded away it can be put against the wall as a pair of side tables.

The firm of Gillows has come out from the shadows in the last

If a breakfast table is required, a special small leaf has been made so

two decades. Thanks to numerous articles and Lindsay Boynton's

that it can form a perfect square. The legs are inset a foot along the

book of Gillows' designs, we now appreciate the vast scale of their

sides so guests will not have to suffer the discomfort of being

production and their long and distinguished history.

seated next to a leg. The under-frame is constructed extravagantly,

The family firm was established in Lancaster as early as the

being entirely of mahogany which renders the table rigid and very

1730s. Throughout the eigTlleenth century, a succession of Robert

strong. This means that the top is absolutely flat and that the table

and Richard Gillows worked for and controlled the firm. Their

can easily be moved on its casters. All in all, every aspect of design

success really began in 1769, when they opened their first London

If

office. Noble commissions came and in 1800, Richard Gillows took

entire buildings, providing wall papers, fixtures and fittings. Their

out a patent for an extending dining table which further enhanced

salesmen toured the country with books of illustrations lavishly

the firm's reputation. The history of Gillows is exceptionally

coloured to tempt buyers. Gilllows even pioneered 'flat-packing' in

complete, as nearly all the order books and salesman's archives ^till

order to offer their clients a reduced price. There was no corner of

exist. We know that the practice of stamping GILLOWS.

the furniture trade they did not thoroughly exploit. Between 1 780

LANCASTER started in around 1780 and continued until 1817.

and 1830, they were the furniture trade, leading in price, fashion and

Today, it is difficult to comprehend the range of Gillows' business at

even work practices.

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

1.1' •

B O U R D O N

HOUSE

A large scale planter

A japanned table

A very large scale stoneware planter decorated to

A n exceptional m i d 19th century tip-top black

simulate a tree trunk. T h e r e are four carrying handles

j a p a n n e d circular occasional table. T h e t o p is d e c o r a t e d

disguised as branches a n d an elaborate serpentine rim

with a border o f floral gilt vignettes f r a m e d with lattice

fashioned to simulate interwoven branches. T h e planter

panels, the centre depicts figures within a bucolic

is s u p p o r t e d on a small stoneware plinth again fashioned

landscape. T h e table s t a n d s on a tapering c o l u m n a n d a

to simulate a tree trunk.

s h a p e d circular plinth decorated with a similar border to the t o p a n d with birds a n d flowers in three colours

England, circa 1 8 7 0

o f gold. T h e whole is s u p p o r t e d on three scroll feet.

E n g l a n d , circa 1 8 7 0

H E I G H T : 3 7 IN <94 C M ) DIAMETER:

4 2 IN ( 1 0 7

CM)

Attributed to J e n n e n s & Bettridge

HEIGHT:

2 9 IN ( 7 4

DIAMETER:

76

CM)

20'/2 IN (52 C M )

Underside of top

77

AT

BOURDON

HOUSE

A crewelwork pane A large panel o f 17th c e n t u r y crewelwork e m b r o i d e r y , p e r h a p s part o f h a n g i n g s for a great b e d , o f large c u r l i n g leaf d e s i g n w o r k e d in b l u e w o o l s o n a h o m e s p u n g r o u n d .

E n g l a n d , circa 1 6 8 0

B e a r i n g a m i d - t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y t y p e d label that reads: " O l d E n g l i s h Kail leaf e m b r o i d e r y w o r k e d by the d a u g h t e r s o f R i c h a r d A m p h l e t t o f K e n t b e f o r e 1 6 8 1 : f r a m e d by J o h n A m p h l e t t o f C l i e n t , seventh in d e s c e n t f r o m R i c h a r d A m p h l e t t , in 1 9 0 5 . "

FRAMED: 80V2

IN X 4 9 IN ( 2 0 4 CM X 125 CM)

Crewelwork is embroidery worked with loosely twisted yarn, called crewel. This type of embroidery dates to ancient Egypt and there are notable examples of it throughout history. Crewelwork was popular in England from the sixteenth century onwards and was made mainly for bed hangings or curtains in the late seventeenth century in England, in America by the early eighteenth century and across Europe. It was around 1750 that richer fabrics such as velvet, silk and brocade superseded crewelwork. This development corresponded with the evolving fashion in furniture.

Patterns were executed in coloured wools on white or neutral linen grounds and were worked in designs of flowering trees, set in schematically delineated landscapes, or bold floral designs with exotic birds that were derived from imported Indian printed and painted cottons.

Later designs progressed with less tightly packed patterns, floral and foliate motifs became slimmer and more elongated and more spaciously arranged. Flower motifs tended to be both of English or Indian origins; various leaf motifs were stylised with more slender, long, meandering tendrils and stems. This panel illustrates well the early stages of this stylistic development, the interlinking foliage creating a complex and elegant natural pattern.

78

A Regency dining table An exceptional William IV, amboyna, circular extending dining table having an inlaid large-scale star at the centre and a border of ebony. The frieze is interspersed with extending leaf supports in ebony having brass handles with star backs. Six additional leaves can be bolted to the outer edge of the table and locked in position. The outer leaves are also finished with an ebony outer rim. The table stands on four boldly modelled turned legs with ebonised collars which terminate in over-scale brass castors.

England, circa 1820 H E I G H T : iS'A

IN ( 7 2 C M )

D I A M E T E R C L O S E D : 5 4 IN (1)7

CM)

D I A M E T E R E X T E N D E D : 7 2 IN (183 C M )

79

Amboyna was first used in England during the eariy

Serang and formeriy spelt 'Ceram') from where its

eighteenth century; there is a dressing and writing table of

exceedingly beautiful and highly ornamental burls were

inlaid anriboyna at the Victoria & Albert Museum that dates

once shipped to Europe. (Dutch Trading posts were

from the Queen Anne period. However, it became

opened in the early seventeenth century and the island

particularly fashionable at the turn of the nineteenth

came under nominal Dutch control circa 1650). The

century and is most closely associated with furniture from

ordinary trunkwood from this tree was not commercially

the Sheraton and Regency periods. The Amboyna tree is

popular and so the more valuable buris are simply termed

native to the East Indies, West of New Guinea, and in

amboyna wood.

particular to the island of Seram (also called Seran and

80

m

4 iif*T

81

A Suite of Anglo-Indian Furniture A rare and finely carved suite of mid 19th century Anglo-Indian ivory chairs, consisting of two armchairs and a two seater settee. Each is carved throughout with gilt foliate scrolls in low relief within recessed panels. The backs have upholstered central panels, flanked above and below with a rail of turned balusters. Each has a scroll arm supported by a smaller scroll. The chairs have elaborately decorated seat rails and stand at the front on turned tapering legs, carved with raised collars and foliate ornament in gilt, terminating in claw feet. Sabre legs support the chair at the back.

India, circa 1860

P! iTT^

M;. "i'.i

m m

r-{?>.!»-'

i'^l

BOURDON

HOUSE

SETTEE

CHAIRS

HEIGHT OF BACK: 3 9 IN (99 CM)

HEIGHT OF BACK: 39 IN (99 CM)

HEIGHT OF SEAT: I9 IN (48 CM)

HEIGHT OF SEAT: I9 IN (48 CM)

W I D T H : 4 3 IN ( 1 0 9 CM)

W I D T H : 21 IN (53 CM)

DEPTH: 19 IN (48 CM)

DEPTH: 19 IN (48 CM)

This remarkable suite of ivory furniture clearly follows a European

subsequently engraved in black lac, commonly associated with the

model with shaped rails and back splats. It is entirely veneered in

port of Vizagapatam. The other group includes pieces which have

ivory on an Indian hardwood carcass with turned ivory finials

been constructed from Indian hardwoods and then inlaid skilfully

resembling the shaped 'onion' domes so prevalent in Mughal

with ivory.

architecture.

This suite was clearly a specific commission, most probably ordered directly by an Indian Prince from the workshops at

The ornament on the veneered ivory panels has been delicately carved forming inter-locking flowering vines and spiralling

Murshidabad. Murshidabad in North-Eastern India was a well known

arabesques. This raised decoration has then been highlighted with

centre of ivory manufacture. Its craftsmen produced sumptuous

gold leaf to create a rich and opulent effect; so popular with Indian

pieces of furniture and whole suites would be ordered by the

princes in the nineteenth century. Unusually the Indian artisans have

nawabs to entertain visiting European dignitaries in their palaces.

even taken the care to veneer the undersides of the seat rails,

There is a table in the Victoria & Albert Museum of similar

decorating these panels with additional carved floral designs.

decoration with raised and carved ivory ornament of interlocking flowering vines. These raised surfaces have been gilded in the same

Stylistically this suite is very interesting. Broadly speaking,

fashion as the Mallett ivory suite.

ivory furniture made in India falls into two distinct groups. The first are pieces that have been entirely veneered in ivory and then

83

A pair of ivory models of barges A pair of Northern Indian mid 19th century ivory models of ceremonial barges each showing a crew of seated oarsmen in front of a tented pavilion having a figure within. Each stern is enriched with the carved stylised representation of the eagle god Garuda and has at the prow the elephant head of the god Ganesha. Each barge stands on an integral ivory plinth.

India, circa 1870 L E N G T H : I3'/2 IN (34 CM)

These two barges have as their stern and prow images of Indian deities both of whom where auspicious to travel. The eagle god Garuda was the vehicle of the lord Vishnu and therefore has long been associated with travel. The elephant god Ganesha serves a dual purpose; he was legendarily reliable and he was a great remover of obstacles. Both these aspects are clearly appropriate to safe and trouble free travel.

>

84

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•

ft::-.

^

•I ••/•..A///'

-

J

i

5

—I •

85

MALLETT AT BOURDON HOL'SE

A Chinese mirror painting An exceptional 18th century Chinese export mirror painting of an urban landscape with a river running through the centre with figures set in varying poses. The houses are of varied architecture, some bearing calligraphy inscriptions. The garden is depicted with a tree at the centre and a wall with a variety of unusual pots with flowers.

China, circa 1770

F R A M E D : 2 7 I N X 35 I N ( 6 9 C M X 8 9 C M )

Mirror painting, or reverse glass painting,

within the Forbidden City but while this

is thought t o have been imported t o

p r o d u c e d a large n u m b e r of ritual utensils

China from Europe in the early eighteenth

and o r n a m e n t s , it p r o d u c e d no flat glass.

century by a Jesuit missionary called

A c o n t e m p o r a r y o b s e r v e r n o t e s h o w their

G u i s e p p e Castiglione. The technique

e f f o r t s t o o o f t e n resulted in a product that

involves painting on the back of glass

w a s 'thin and brittle' by c o m p a r i s o n t o its

panels in oil and. of c o u r s e , in reverse.

'thick and crystal-like' w e s t e r n

W h e n decorating mirrors the artist w o u l d

counterpart. A s a result, significant

first trace the outline of the p r o p o s e d

a m o u n t s of w i n d o w and mirrored glass

scene o n t o the back of the mirror plate,

w e r e i m p o r t e d into China.

before carefully removing the m e r c u r y and

The s c e n e d e p i c t e d s h o w s a typical

tin mirror backing to clear a space for the

Jiang Nan o r ' w a t e r - t o w n '. of the t y p e

painting.

found along certain s t r e t c h e s of the

In England during the eighteenth

eastern c o a s t of China, particularly in the

century, C h i n e s e glass paintings w e r e in

Yangtze River delta. T o w n s such as

great demand. The earliest examples,

Zhouzhuang and W u h z e n still attract large

dating f r o m around 1 7 5 0 o n w a r d s , w e r e

n u m b e r s of tourists, an interest which, as

generally landscapes, in both the C h i n e s e

this piece suggests, has existed f o r s o m e

o r w e s t e r n taste, with mirror backing. Of

time. All things Oriental, particularly

these, the m o s t popular in England w e r e

generic landscapes or t o w n s c a p e s with

t h o s e depicting native C h i n e s e

figures fascinated W e s t e r n audiences

landscapes w i t h figures. S u c h w o r k s w e r e

during this period, offering a rare insight

c o m m o n l y placed in elaborate

into the m y s t e r i o u s w o r l d of the East. A s

Chippendale frames t o serve as mantel

can be seen here. C h i n e s e gardens

glasses or pier mirrors. By the 1 7 8 0 s it

differed greatly f r o m European examples,

had b e c o m e fashionable to c o p y English

disciplined a r r a n g e m e n t s of rocks, plants,

and European engravings and. as the

w a t e r and architecture replacing the

nineteenth century progressed, subjects

rolling green s p a c e s favoured in the

b e c a m e simpler, the artists tending t o

W e s t . Daoist ideals of disengaging f r o m

focus on single figures.

worldly c o n c e r n s gave a rationale for

Interestingly, the glass used for such pieces was. on the whole, i m p o r t e d f r o m England, in spite of China's long history of glassmaking. Ancient China saw glass used as a substitute for jade and as a material for making decorative objects.

M o r e recently, in 1696 the Emperor Kangxi established a glass w o r k s h o p

gardens as e n v i r o n m e n t s in w h i c h an individual could e s c a p e the o f t e n harsh realities of c o n t e m p o r a r y life t h r o u g h quiet contemplation. Characteristically any plants there w e r e in such a garden, particularly within an urban setting, w o u l d be planted individually in pots to assist this practice.

86

MALLETT

AT

BOURDON

87

HOUSE

BOURDON

A pair of Kangxi chargers A fine pair of famille verte Kangxi period large scale chargers,

HOUSE

A pair of Chinese oi paintings

decorated with multiple borders of geometric decoration inset with vignettes of foliate ornament, each having at the centre an

A pair of early 19th century Chinese export genre views, each

elaborate bouquet and vase.

illustrating an interior lit from either a window or an open door. Both interiors have on the wall a scroll landscape painting flanked by panels of calligraphy on a red ground. In the

China, circa 1700

foreground of one is a group of merchants counting coins and DIAMETER:

1 5 I N <38

CM)

These chargers were made at a time when the European interest in

in the other a bird merchant demonstrating his wares.

China, circa 1820

Oriental wares had reached its climax. Although the Chinese had traded in porcelain with Europe since the sixteenth century, they were inundated with vast demands from European countries during the 1700s. To the Europeans, porcelain was an object of curiosity and fascination, being so utterly different from their more cumbersome earthenwares.

UNFRAMED:

2 0 IN X 2 5 I N (51 C M X 6 3 . 5

HEIGHT:

20

IN (51

CM)

WIDTH:

25 IN (63.5

CM)

CM)

By the turn of the eighteenth century, the English and Dutch had cornered the Chinese porcelain market, hence the large quantities of

The figures in each of these scenes appear to be merchants,

famille verte wares in England today. This was the most popular

shown here possibly in the midst of a wager or simply trading.

porcelain export ware after blue and white and its name refers to the

In the first over a pair of birds and the second a more conventional

polychrome palette of translucent greens, reds, yellows, blues and

table-game. In both, their activities are dramatically lit by shafts of

purple enamels, applied over the glaze. The favoured subjects of early

bright sunlight, though from opposite sides, suggesting the works

eighteenth century famille verte porcelain were a fenced rock garden and

were certainly a pair intended to be hung together.

petal-shaped reserves that contained examples from the entire repertoire

Though gambling was prohibited in China it was never the

of Oriental wares. These included landscapes, the hundred antiques (the

less fairly widespread, particularly throughout the coastal regions

various shapes of Chinese vases), the eight precious objects, the eight

lined with the foreign concessions of Shanghai. Hong Kong.

Buddhist emblems and as on these chargers, floral vignettes.This palette

Canton and of course Macao. Due in no small part to Western

remained popular until the 1730s when it was superseded by the famille

influences, gambling was rife in these areas (becoming legal in

rose palette. It would undergo a revival in the nineteenth century

Macao in the mid 1800s) to the extent that it was recorded in

although the finest pieces are all associated with the reign of Kangxi.

such paintings in the same way as any other generic scene.

MALLETT

AT

BOURDON

89

HOUSE

MALLETT AT BOURDON HOUSE

A Chinese family A fine a n d r a r e e a r l y 1 9 t h c e n t u r y C h i n e s e f a m i l y g r o u p depicted seated u p o n a balcony with an aquatic cityscape b e h i n d a n d various d o m e s t i c objects in the f o r e g r o u n d . T h e f a t h e r is s h o w n i n c o u r t i e r ' s c o s t u m e w e a r i n g t h e traditional b a m b o o hat s h o w i n g his rank, t h e c h i l d is s h o w n w i t h a b i r d o n h i s a r m a n d

the

mother, standing between them, holds an o p i u m

pipe.

T h e p a i n t i n g is r e n d e r e d i n a m a n n e r h i g h l y i n f l u e n c e d b y E u r o p e a n style.

C h i n a , circa

1820

F R A M E D : 2 4 IN X 2 9 I N ( 6 1 C M X 7 4 H E I G H T : 2 4 IN ( 6 1 WIDTH:

CM)

CM)

2 9 IN ( 7 4 CM)

Besides port scenes, ship paintings and portraits. Chinese painters working for the export market p r o d u c e d a large body of genre paintings, satisfying the growing fascination a m o n g s t W e s t e r n patrons with the East. Generally depicting figures within landscapes, gardens or domestic settings, such w o r k s offered the c o n t e m p o r a r y v i e w e r a rare glimpse into a w o r l d shrouded in mystery, t o which access, w a s for the most part, denied to outsiders.

A s Carl C r o s s m a n . notes in his book. T h e China Trade":"[...with) little opportunity to o b s e r v e the Chinese at home, other than on the rare visits to the H o n a m e s t a t e s of s o m e of the wealthy hong merchants, w e s t e r n traders obviously enjoyed having a fragment of the Chinese w a y of life permanently recorded in the paintings they purchased t o take to the W e s t . " This w o r k is clearly a portrait of one such wealthy hong merchant, s h o w n seated in the c o m p a n y of his wife and child. The quality of their clothes and surroundings and, indeed, of the painting itself suggests both a significant sitter and patron. The intimacy of paintings such as this made them particularly popular

90

MALLETT

AT

BOURDON

91

HOUSE

MALLETT

AT

BOURDON

A pair of Japanese table screens A pair of Japanese six-fold, gold ground early 19th century table screens, each depicting exotic songbirds held within diverse cages. Each panel is surmounted by a trompe I'oeil of a rolled up screen and retains its original silk border and framing.

Japan, circa 1820

H E I G H T : 2 5 IN (63 CM) W I D T H : 6 7 IN ( 1 7 0

CM)

Japanese folding screens, or Byobu,

played a significant

part in the otherwise minimal Japanese interior. S u c h screens are generally c o n s t r u c t e d of paper m o u n t e d over a light w o o d skeleton, usually of t w o or six panels, and almost always p r o d u c e d in pairs. They w o u l d frequently be embellished with gold leaf, a feature s o m e suggest may have been an a t t e m p t to reflect light in dimly lit interiors.

Very early examples tend t o depict panoramic landscapes and classical literary subjects, but during the Edo period ( 1 6 0 3 - 1867) the emphasis changed. The focus of the artists m o v e d to the people themselves, to individuals and their pastimes. Solid gold grounds became popular, against which there are no indicators such as landscape or architecture t o define the context. This fine pair certainly c o n f o r m to this later type, still lifes, w i t h o u t the pictorial context specific to w e s t e r n types.

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A burr olivewood dining table A 20th century burr olivewood veneered extending dining table by Paul Evans (1931-1987), decorated throughout with asymmetrically arranged square and rectangular sections. The plinth support is composed of alternating vertical rectangular sections of veneered olivewood and chrome. T h e table has two additional central leaves.

America, circa 1970 H E I G H T : 29V4 IN ( 7 4 CM) W I D T H : 4 4 IN ( I I I C M ) L E N G T H C L O S E D : 8 4 IN ( 2 I 3 . 5 C M ) L E N G T H FULLY E X T E N D E D : I I 4 IN ( 2 8 9 . 5 CM)

-.0

. -t;

§ 0 .

- M m :

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a

1

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Evans's extensive training in metalwork and sculpture resulted in

Paul Evans was bom in Newtown, Pennsylvannia in 1931 and studied sculpture and metalwork at the Philadelphia Textile Institute

unique designs of furniture primarily made from steel, bronze and

and at the School for American Grafters at the Rochester Institute

wood. In 1964, Evans met the president of 'Directional', a national

of Technology. In 1952, he was awarded the prestigious Booth

furniture manufacturer and became the firm's designer leading to the

Scholarship to attend Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills,

opening of his own studio in Plumsteadville, Pennsylvannia. This table

Michigan. In 1957, Evans exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary

is a part of Evans's final line for Directional called 'Cityscape'. He

Crafts in New York and started exhibiting at a Manhattan gallery

juxtaposes square and rectangular burr veneers in a patchwork

called America House.

design, creating a visual metaphor where the veneer represents nature with the design and form representing the New York skyline.

Evans stopped working for Directional in the late 1970s but continued with his own workshop and designs until his death in 1987.

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An Art Deco gaming table A n Art D e c o circular g a m i n g table. T h e t o p , the frieze a n d e a c h face o f the b a s e has f l a m e veneered p a n e l s o f r o s e w o o d .

T h e r e are f o u r drawers in the frieze, w h i c h is s u p p o r t e d by f o u r c o l u m n s o f s m a l l drawers. A t the t o p o f each, there is a small slide for d r i n k s or c a n d l e s t i c k s a n d the t o p drawer is d i v i d e d to h o l d two p a c k s o f cards. E a c h drawer has a nickel p l a t e d ball h a n d l e . T h e table s t a n d s o n inset b l o c k feet.

E a c h t o p drawer bears a fire b r a n d for the m a k e r P.P. France, circa 1 9 2 5

HEIGHT:

2 9 IN ( 7 4

DIAMETER:

CM)

3I!/2 IN ( 8 0

CM)

Art Deco, like its predecessor Art Nouveau, was essentially a

fascination with exotic and valuable materials.

surface art, placing great emptiasis on ornamentation. Shaped

Highly figured woods were particularly popular, flame

also by the radical influences of Cubist painting, Bauhaus

veneers of rosewood here used to great effect, particularly on

architecture and the influx of tribal art from Africa and South

the top where four matching veneers are combined to create a

America, objects took on the sleek, streamlined appearance that

striking geometric pattern. Such manipulation of natural materials

is so familiar today. With the emphasis on ornamentation came a

for decorative effect was typical of the period.

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A glass standard amp An Italian mid 20th century bronze and blue aventurine glass standard lamp taking the form of a stylised Grecian bow supported on circular domed plinth. Each of the attenuated conical elements of the bow and the domed foot are in glass and framed in bronze.

The glass attributed to Venini

Italy, circa 1950

HEIGHT (INCLUDING

SHADE):

7 6 IN (I93

CM)

The pale blue glass, with its appearance of aventurine caused by inclusion of small particles of copper, is typical of the glass produced by Venini and other Murano glass makers of this period. Paolo Venini, a Milanese lawyer, arrived in Venice in 1921 where he formed a partnership with Giacomo Cappellin, a Venetian antique dealer Together they founded a glassworks, Cappellin Venini & C. that would revolutionise Venetian glass design. Until then Venice had been immune to outside design influences. Both the Arts and Crafts movement and the Art Nouveau era had passed by without any perceptible change in the designs emanating from the island of Murano in Venice. Cappellin-Venini produced simple shapes in clear or pale transparent colours, in sharp contrast to the over-decorated tourist-trade output that was the signature of much Murano glass at the time. After four years the partnership split and Venini formed his own company, Vetri Soffiati Muranesi Venini & C. By extending invitations to artists and architects to work with their craftsmen (such as Fulvio Bianconi, Gio Ponti and Toni Zuccheri), Venetian glass production was transformed, and developed a new shape, look, and expression. Creating designs for limited rather than mass production, Venini took advantage of Murano's historic tradition of small barely mechanised factories where all manufacturing processes were still performed by hand.

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overleaf

An Art Deco standard lamp

A pair of Italian commodes

A rare A r t D e c o s t a n d a r d l a m p in s t a i n e d s h a g r e e n

A pair o f Italian m a h o g a n y early 2 0 t h c e n t u r y A r t D e c o

and palmwood taking the form of a column with a

p e r i o d c o m m o d e s . E a c h h a s a fall f r o n t , d e c o r a t e d w i t h

shagreen capital,

s t r i p s o f p o l i s h e d b r a s s b e t w e e n p a n e l s o f finely f i g u r e d

flanked

by asymmetric tapering

s h a g r e e n p a n e l s . T h e w h o l e is s u p p o r t e d o n a s q u a r e

m a h o g a n y . E a c h c o m m o d e is m o u n t e d a t t h e f r o n t w i t h

platform enriched with triangular panels

a h a n d l e of a stylised cable m o t i f T h e y are s u p p o r t e d

of p a l m w o o d a n d shagreen.

o n ' X ' f r a m e legs t e r m i n a t i n g i n l a c q u e r e d b r a s s f e e t .

T h e design attributed to G i o Ponti.

France,

circa h a l y , circa

1935

H E I G H T ( I N C L U D I N G SHADE): 8 6 IN ( 2 1 8 . 5 CM) H E I G H T : 3 7 IN ( 9 4 CM) W I D T H : 4 0 IN ( 1 0 2 CM) D E P T H : 1 9 IN (48 CM)

Shagreen underwent something of a renaissance during the art-deco period. Originally it became popular in Europe during the eighteenth century, being used to cover small objects such as caskets or prestigious scientific instruments. Due to the expense and relative scarcity of the material it was rarely used for anything larger, until around 1925. The Art Deco style placed great emphasis on surface decoration employing a myriad of exotic materials, as is the case here. An uplighter decked in a combination of shagreen and palmwood is an essay in extravagance, representative of the style and period.

Gio Ponti lived a long and very fruitful life Cfrom 1891-1979).

Having studied architecture in his hometown of Milan, he went on to receive a number of significant commissions, including most importantly his renowned Pirelli tower. Regarded by many as the godfather of modern Italian design, his achievements extend way beyond architecture, having also been a celebrated designer, painter and poet, as well as founder and editor of

The term shagreen is derived from a combination of the Turkish saghh (the croup of an animal) and the

two very significant design magazines, particularly Domus which, founded in 1928, is still in print today

French word chagrin (on account of the rasping nature In furniture design, as elsewhere, Ponti was prolific. As a of the leather). A type of untanned leather, it was originally obtained, in Persia and Turkey, from the hides of asses, horses and camels. When still soft, seeds were pressed into the surface and shaken out when

result, certain characteristic features can be identified in his works. He had a propensity for modifying or experimenting with traditional themes. One aspect of this is his ability to reduce seemingly the visual weight of an object, to make a dried, leaving small indentations behind. However, the substantial piece of furniture appear light. This was achieved in term also refers to the treated skin of sharks and rayfish. ground flat to create a similar granulated pattern, as first used by the Japanese. The shagreen used on this standard lamp appears to be either sharks or ray-

much of his work through the use of tapered legs, thick at the top and narrowing to a much thinner and daintier foot, as can be seen in many of his tables from around the forties, such as the Rosalinda'. He experimented with this motif further, first fish skin. curving the legs, as illustrated in Lisa Licitra Ponti's book on Gio Ponti, publ. Rizzoli, 1996, USA, then crossing them to form an X frame, as is the case with this pair of commodes, the result is something of a contradiction. A visibly heavy and substantial piece of furniture supported on legs which, though wide at the top, descend to a delicate plie. This playful abandonment of the traditional rules is characteristic of Ponti's distinctive style.

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2002 1 8 - 2 4 October

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The Seventh Regiment Armory, New York, USA 2 3 - 2 7 October

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The Seventh Regiment Armory, Neiv York, USA 30 J a n u a r y - 9 February

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West Palm Beach, Florida, USA 1 3 - 2 3 March

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Maastricht, The Netherlands 10 - 17 J u n e

The Grosvenor House A r t and Antiques Fair

Grosvenor House Hotel, London, UK 13 - 16 J u n e

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Park Lane Hotel London, UK 1 7 - 2 3 October

The International Fine A r t and Antique Dealers Show

The Seventh Regiment Armory, New York, USA

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