Mallett Catalogue 2008

141 New Bond Street London W1

929 Madison Avenue at 74th Street New York 10021

Mallett Autumn 2008 9/23/08 12:34 PM

L O N D O N M A L L E T T N E W Y O R K

The spectrum of ideas in European furniture is as fascinating as the character

of our nations, reflecting perhaps the colours of climate, landscape and ethnic

origins. The selection of recent acquisitions which we display here includes

some of the extraordinary richness of fine furniture, in function, design and

manufacture. From Ireland is a magnificent large dining table of spectacular

solid West Indian mahogany (page 74). Apparently sober and somewhat

understated, this is undeniably splendid and luxurious.

Very different is the rich drama of the giltwood side tables in the manner

of Bonzanigo (page 4) which are Italian. These stand at the summit of grand

Neo-Classical furniture, devised from the vocabulary of Greek and Roman

Antiquity that united Europe in both intellect and fashion. These too are

truly noble in execution and design.

A particularly interesting English commode, not known to the open market,

though thoroughly documented by Lucy Wood, perhaps represents the

epitome of English furniture (page 67). It clearly incorporates the refined

and sifted influences of pattern and motifs from a wider European context.

This splendid mid-18th century piece is a great treasure. It is elegant,

spectacular, stimulating in design, yet restrained; an emblem of Georgian

furniture.

Culturally diverse and sophisticated, fine furniture is above all life-enhancing,

made for use and lovely to live with.

Lanto Synge

Chief Executive


4 A PAIR OF SIDE TABLESIN THE MANNER OFBONZANIGO

An important pair of late 18th

century Piedmontese carved

giltwood side tables with dark

green malachite tops. Each

having a frieze with a band

of egg and dart carving above

panels of scrolling leaves centred

by a sunburst mask and hung

at the front and sides with

magnificent garlands of flowers;

the tapering fluted legs joined

by shaped stretchers and

ending in acanthus feet.

In the manner of Giuseppe

Maria Bonzanigo.

Italy, circa 1780

Height: 361/4in (92cm)

Width: 44in (112cm)

Depth: 243/4in (63cm)

PROVENANCE

Formerly in the collection of the

Earls of Rosebery at Mentmore

Towers, Buckinghamshire.

Mentmore House sale, Sotheby

Parke Bernet & Co., 20 May 1977,

lot 836.

Mallett and Son (Antiques) Ltd.,

1993.

Private collection.


This magnificent pair of classical

tables is attributed to the

workshop of Italian craftsman,

Giuseppe Maria Bonzanigo

(1745-1820). The decorative arts

of Piedmont in the 18th century

were strongly influenced by

France, but the elaborate carving

on these tables is distinctly

Italian. Bonzanigo was born in

Asti where his father and uncle

worked as woodcarvers,

specialising in elaborate cases

for church organs. Bonzanigo

was primarily a sculptor and his

work is characterised by superbly

detailed carved ornament.

The flowers, in particular,

on these side tables are of the

sharpest quality. Art historian

Hugh Honour compares the

“minute delicacy” of Bonzanigo’s

work to that of an ivory carver.

The floral swags on the tables

have affinities with those on

the carved giltwood fire screen

that Bonzanigo made in Turin

for the King of Sardinia in 1775.

By 1773, Bonzanigo had

settled in Turin and began to

work for the court. During his

long and distinguished career he

established a position for himself

as the finest exponent of Neo-

Classicism in Piedmont in the

field of carving and decoration.

He carried out many

commissions for Vittorio

Amedeo III and, in 1787, received

the accolade of being named a

Royal Sculptor. His work in the

Palazzo Reale in Turin and also

in the Royal apartments of the

hunting lodge at Stupinigi may

be related to these particular

side tables.

Russian carvers and gilders

in the late 18th century were

greatly influenced by Italian and

German workshops. Giltwood

side tables with green malachite

tops at the Ostankino Palace

in the northern part of Moscow

show marked similarities with

this pair. They may also be

related to tables at the Pavlovsk

Palace, which was built around

1780 just south east of St.

Petersburg as a country

residence of the Russian

Imperial Family.

The provenance of Mentmore

Towers, Buckinghamshire, places

these side tables in one of the

most outstanding collections

of art, with a fascinating history.

The contents of the house were

sold through Sotheby Parke

Bernet & Co. over an astonishing

nine days, from 18th May to 27th

May, in 1977. It was one of the

first highly publicised, record-

breaking English country house

sales.

Mentmore was designed

by the architect Joseph Paxton

for Baron and Baroness de

Rothschild as a house close

to London. The house and its

contents were inherited by their

daughter Hannah, later Countess

of Rosebery and her husband

Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th

Earl of Rosebery. Following the

death of their son, the 6th Earl,

in 1973, the Labour government

refused to accept the contents

in lieu of inheritance taxes and

the executors of the estate sold

the contents by auction for

over £6,000,000. The Rothschild /

Mentmore collection is said to

have been one of the finest

ever assembled in private hands;

comparable to the collections

of the Russian and British Royal

Families.

ILLUSTRATED

Lanto Synge, Mallett Millenium,

Antique Collectors' Club, London,

1999, p. 160, fig. 196.

F2I0439

A view of Mentmore Towers,

illustrated in Mentmore, Volume One,

Furniture, Sotheby Parke Bernet &

Co., published by Raithby, Lawrence

& Company Ltd., 1977, p. 342.

The Blue Hall of the Ostankino

Palace, Moscow, illustrated in Irina

Semionova, Ostankino, Eighteenth-

Century Country Estate, Aurora Art

Publishers, Leningrad, 1981, colour

plate 32.

A similar side table by Bonzanigo, illustrated

in Hugh Honour, Cabinet Makers and Furniture

Designers, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London,

1969, p. 184.


5


66


7


8


9AN INDO-DUTCH EBONYARMCHAIR

A late 17th century Indo-Dutch

ebony armchair of small-scale

with elaborate carved decoration

throughout. The whole stands

on square and spiral-turned legs

joined by peripheral stretchers

and ending in bun feet.

India, circa 1690

Back height: 131/2in (34cm)

Seat height: 281/4in (72cm)

Width: 21in (53cm)


Carved ebony chairs were

made throughout South East

Asia during the second half of

the 17th century, particularly

along the Coromandel Coast

of India, Indonesia and Ceylon.

This low armchair is very likely

to have been made on the

Coromandel Coast and this type

of furniture appears frequently

in the inventories of the VOC

(Dutch East India Company)

settlements, where it is

described as 'Coast' furniture.

F2F0176

B


A REGENCY TILT-TOPGAMES TABLE

An early 19th century tilt-top

painted chess table, the board

is enriched with armorial motifs

surrounded by an elaborate

naturalistically painted foliate

border. The top rises to reveal

a hidden games compartment

and is supported on a giltwood

column stem standing on a

tripod plinth terminating in

pad feet.

England, circa 1830

Height: 29in (74cm)

Width: 21in (53cm)

Depth: 21in (53cm)

F2I0094


10


11A GEORGE III BALLOON-SHAPED BRACKET CLOCK

A late 18th century painted

satinwood clock. The figured

satinwood and tulipwood

crossbanded ebony and boxwood

strung veneered balloon-shaped

case is surmounted by an urn

finial, all painted en grisaille with

a musical trophy. The sides are

painted respectively with ribbon-

tied oak leaf swags and vine

leaves, egg and dart, pearl

beading, stiff leaves and patera

ornament. The white enamelled

dial is signed “Upjohn/Bond

Street/London”, the foliate and

flower engraved brass backplate

to the movement is signed

“James” and the reverse door

has an open fret panel.

England, circa 1795

Height: 26in (66cm)

Width: 13in (33cm)

Depth: 9in (22.5cm)

LITERATURE

Cf: Roger Smith, 'Benjamin

Vulliamy's painted satinwood

clocks and Pedestals', Apollo

Magazine, June 1995, pp. 25-33.

A+


The movement of this

interesting bracket clock is

signed by James Upjohn, who

is possibly recorded as being

apprenticed in 1766. He became

a member of the Clock Makers'

Company in 1781 and a member

of the Livery in 1790 before

leaving for America in 1802.

A James Upjohn is also recorded

at Threadneadle Street, 1760-63,

and in Lombard Street, 1779, and

the firm of James Upjohn and

Wirgman is recorded at 18 Red

Lion Street, 1780-91, and as

James & Company in 1794. The

veneered case of the clock with

its decoration en grisaille can

with certainty be attributed

to the cabinet-maker Thomas

Brownley and the decorative

painter John Bromley (fl. 1768-

1803) who supplied Benjamin

Vulliamy with cases of identical

profile to this piece, differing

only in the form of the vase finial

and the detail of the decoration.

The first reference to these

makers appears in Vulliamy's day

book and clock book of 1798,

which records the making of

number 315, “a large eight day

long clock” with an “organ which

plays tunes three times over”.

This was “contained in a very

fine satinwood case inlaid with

different sorts of woods. The

middle and lower doors are also

painted in the best manner”.

Brownley, who is named as

maker of the case, which cost

£19. 10s, was almost certainly

the Thomas Brownley of 68 King

Street, Golden Square, who is

recorded at this address between

1791-1811, at which date he was

succeeded by his son. He is also

recorded in Vulliamy's ledgers as

supplying other items ranging

from ebony rods for pendulums

to inlaid mahogany doors for

William Beckford in 1800.

The door of the

aforementioned clock which

was “painted in the best manner”

appears to have been the work

of John Bromley, “a coach, sign,

and house painter”. Bromley

was a freeman of the Stainers

Company who was recorded at

26 Great Queen Street in 1796.

He is noted in Vulliamy's clock

book as being paid “£2. 12. 6. for

painting an oval depicting Apollo

and the twelve signs, £1. 11s. 6d.

for a lyre, and £1. 16s. 0d. for

four snakes for no. 315”.

The work of Brownley and

Bromley is comprehensively

discussed by Roger Smith in

‘Benjamin Vulliamy's painted

satinwood clocks and Pedestals’,

the design and detail of the

decoration of the illustrated

clock cases and pedestals clearly

showing that the present clock

can be firmly attributed to them.

In particular, Smith illustrates a

clock of identical profile, fig. 5,

but with a slightly different

finial. Purchased by the Bank

of England in 1794, at a cost

of 60 gns., it is supported on

a pedestal, its decoration being

clearly related. Another example,

supported on a wall bracket,

again has a different finial but

related decoration (see: C.

Claxton Stevens and Stewart

Whittington, 18th Century

English Furniture The Norman

Adams Collection, 1985, pp. 468-

469). It is interesting to note that

the brass bezel of this and the

present clock is identical, as is

the form of the numbering on

the enamel faces.

O2I0476


12 A PAIR OF FLEMISHLEATHER PANELS

A pair of mid-18th century

Flemish leather panels

decorated with chinoiserie

figures including court figures,

a musician, fisherman, warrior

and artist, all set within a

bucolic landscape with pavilions.

Low Countries, circa 1750

Framed height: 523/4in (134cm)

Framed width: 243/4in (63cm)

F2H0247

Though North African in origin,

the fashion for decorative leather

panels was developed and made

popular in Spain, and spread from

there to the Netherlands and

beyond. In Anvers there are dated

panels by Valentijn Kle from as

early as 1500. However the most

famous firm was Vermeulen and

they were founded in 1612 and

only closed in 1797. Leather work

designs followed fashion. In the

early 17th century textiles were

the inspiration, this gave way to

the Baroque and subsequently

the more open style we associate

with the Rococo. Towards the

end of the 18th century leather

panels declined in production

quality and the popularity of the

style faded, so one rarely sees

panels in the Neo-Classical style.

The distinctive character of

the decoration of leather derives

from a mixture of manufacturing

requirements and artistic choice.

The best material was calf

leather, which was then ‘tanned’

and prepared into ‘Samsons’

(square panels). These were then

silvered and lacquered on one

side. This provided a ground for

decoration and protected the

hide from deterioration. What

we see as gilding was actually

coloured varnishes on the silver.

The ‘Samsons’ were then stamped,

punched, painted and lacquered.

The colours were always vegetable

dyes as mineral ones corrupted

the panel.


13A FINE PAIR OF REGENCYCARVED GILTWOODCONVEX MIRRORS

A pair of early 19th century

convex mirrors, each with

a carved bow and ribbon

suspending a concave moulded

giltwood frame, set with gilt

balls and an ebonised slip, the

mirror frame crested by an eagle

clutching a serpent, the apron

with a carved bow sprouting

upright fronds to a wreath and

pendent tassels, the sides with

original brass twin candle arms.

Each with original convex

mirror plate.

England, circa 1805


Width: 33in (84cm)


A+

The Empire circular convex

mirror was introduced from

France, where they had been

made as early as 1756. This style

of mirror became so popular

under the heading ‘Mirrors’, in

Sheraton’s Cabinet Dictionary

(1803), that they are the only

style mentioned. Convex mirrors

were said to “strengthen the

colour and take off the

coarseness of objects by

contracting them”. The delicate

and finely carved mounts and

the particularly close distribution

of the gilt balls set along the

borders of these mirrors, would

suggest they was made within

the first few years of the 19th

century.

LITERATURE

R. Philips. Reflections of the Past:

Mirrors 1685-1815, Beacon Press,

London, 2004.

R. Fastnedge, Regency furniture

1795-1830, R. MacLehose and

Company Ltd., 1965, p. 94.

F2I0529

�


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15


16


17


A JAPANNED SIDECABINET

An unusual William IV japanned

side cabinet decorated

throughout with gilt and

polychrome chinoiserie with

mother-of-pearl insets, all

achieved in fine detail. The top

is bordered with a chinoiserie

edge and is supported by

rounded brackets at the corners.

The sides and front are doors,

which open to reveal further gilt

chinoiserie on a black ground.

The whole standing on a block

plinth with stepped serrations.

England, circa 1835

Height: 33in (84cm)

Width: 53in (135cm)

Depth: 17in (43cm)

F2I0348

B


18 A NAPOLEON III BRONZEAND GRANITE GUÉRIDON

A late 19th century French neo-

classical bronze guéridon, the

circular granite top is supported

by three column legs each

having a winged mask at the

capital and claw feet at the

base. Each element is cast in

fine detail.

Attributed to Ferdinand

Barbedienne.

France, circa 1890


Diameter: 261/2in (67cm)

B

Ferdinand Barbedienne (1810-

1892) began his Paris foundry

in 1839 and eventually became

one of the most important and

prolific bronziers of the 19th

century. Although trained as a

wallpaper manufacturer, in 1838

he changed his profession to

become a fondeur in partnership

with Achilles Collas. The

Barbedienne workshops were

equipped to perform bronze

reduction, fine metal cutting,

bronze mounting, marble work,

turning, enamel decoration and

crystal engraving. The firm was

celebrated for bronze editions,

but also produced decorative

objects in styles that reflected

the various exotic and revival

trends popular at the time.

Barbedienne pioneered the use

of mounts and, more commonly,

bronze sculpture including

figures and animals. He

produced catalogues of bronze

reproductions of Greek and

Roman Classical sculpture and

experimented with champlevé

and cloissoné enamels during

the third quarter of the century.

The Barbedienne firm’s work

was shown to wide acclaim at

all of the most important

international exhibitions of the

second half of the 19th century,

winning numerous medals at

the major international

exhibitions. In 1850 Barbedienne

was commissioned to furnish the

Paris town hall for which he was

awarded the ‘medaille d’honneur’

at the Paris Exhibition in 1855.

The Barbedienne foundry

employed up to three hundred

skilled labourers, handling the

casting of numerous national

monuments and architectural

schemes. Ferdinand Barbedienne

himself also took an active part

in the promotion of

contemporary sculpture and

became one of the founders

for Davis d’Anders’ medallions

as well as much of François

Rude’s sculpture.

After Ferdinand’s death in

1892, the business was taken

over by his nephew, Leblanc-

Barbedienne, and continued

production until 1953.

F2G0204


A GLASS MODEL OF A SHIP IN A DOME

A good example of a lamp-work

glass boat made out of green,

white and clear thin glass rods.

The main ship has three masts

and six blue and white glass

sailors in the rigging. The ship

has suspended from its sides

three lifeboats. Before the main

ship are two small luggers in

turquoise, white and clear with

red sails.

England, circa 1880

Height: 18in (46cm)

Width: 243/4in (63cm)


O2F0126

C


19

Mallett Autumn 2008 10/1/08 9:22 AM

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21

SIR ALFRED MUNNINGS

The White Canoe

Signed

Oil on panel

Unframed: 20 x 24in

(50.8 x 60.9cm)

Framed: 261/2 x 301/2in

(67.3 x 77.5cm)

LITERATURE

Sir Alfred Munnings, The Finish,

1952.

Soon after his marriage, Sir

Alfred Munnings (1878-1959)

painted at least four pictures

of his wife Violet, or Violet and

a friend, in a white Canadian

canoe on the River Stour at

Dedham. The composition of the

two later paintings is similar to

the present picture but the light

has a less autumnal hue than

here. The smaller of these two

was exhibited at the 1924 Royal

Academy exhibition, and a larger

version at the International

Exhibition at Pittsburgh in the

same year. There are five larger

versions of the present picture

with almost identical

compositions, the first being

painted in 1937 or 1938. They

were exhibited at the Royal

Academy in 1940 (titled:

Drifting); 1944 and 1946 (The

White Canoe); 1948 (September

Afternoon); 1953 (The White

Canoe); and 1956 (RA catalogue:

September Afternoon, 1939

Version No. 4; probably the same

painting as in 1948). One version

(40 x 50 inches) is illustrated in

The Finish and includes

Munnings’s comment that this

was: “My last painting in the

early autumn [1939] before the

war started.” The present, smaller

picture was painted in 1938

according to Penelope Bellfield

seen holding the parasol.

Penelope appears in every

‘parasol’ picture, but in all later

versions Munnings used earlier

studies since Penelope was in

France by 1939. The girl behind

her, paddling, is most probably

Mary Baynham. The Bellfield and

Baynham families lived at the

opposite ends of the Long Road

in Dedham and knew Alfred and

Violet Munnings well. The

models in the larger paintings

were combinations of Penelope

and her brother, Eversley

Bellfield, and Mary and her

brother Peter Baynham, and a

Susan Atterbury whose family

lived outside Dedham.

P2I0198



22

A pair of mid-19th century

decalcomania vases and covers

of baluster shape, profusely

decorated with polychrome

chinoiseries set against a

cream ground.

France, circa 1860

Height: 163/4in (42.5cm)

O2I0479

A PAIR OF DECALCOMANIA VASES AND A SINGLE


A LOUIS XIV BEAUVAISTAPESTRY PANEL

An early 18th century Beauvais

tapestry panel depicting a

flower-filled urn, with exotic

birds, within a red ground border

with scrolling foliage crowned

by a mask.

France, circa 1720


Framed width: 28in (71.5cm)

T2H0544

A very large-scale Victorian

decalcomania vase decorated

on a pale-green ground with

polychrome chinoiserie, on the

front face a vignette of a family

group and on the back with a

key patterned bordered scene

of courtesans.

England, circa 1850


O2F0123


23



24


25A RED LACQUER CABINET ON STAND

A fine quality early 18th century

red japanned cabinet. Each panel

is decorated with fantastical gilt

landscapes of traditional types.

The sides are decorated on one

side with an exotic bird and on

the other with a landscape, the

interior of the door with animals

and an acrobat. The drawers are

enriched with genre scenes. The

cabinet stands on a Regency gilt

stand carved to simulate an early

18th century stand.

England, the stand circa 1820,

the cabinet circa 1730




A++ - Cover?

Sally researching


Lacquer-ware was first imported

into Europe by the Portuguese

from Japan at the end of the

16th century. However, in the

17th century, Japan was almost

completely banned from trading

with the West and importation

of goods from the Far East was

exceedingly expensive.

European craftsmen were keen

to meet consumer demand for

these exotic goods and so strove

to imitate Chinese and Japanese

designs and techniques,

particularly lacquer-ware.

Chinese and Japanese

lacquers were usually black

and gold. To European taste

the black background was

limiting and coloured

backgrounds became much

sought after. Coloured japanning

for different backgrounds,

together with patterns and

designs were formulated and

patented; in England by Stalker &

Parker in 1688 and in Paris by the

Martin brothers - hence the term

vernis Martin – in the 1740s

and 1750s. In England the

most popular colour for the

background was red and good

quantities of this furniture

was made. These colours were

fashionable in the first period

of japanning in England until

the early 1730s and then

again in the 1760s and 1770s.

Stalker and Parker’s

publication of 1688 illustrates

just a small number of the

great variety of patterns

which inspired artists.

Talented craftsmen took the

designs further, adding their

own individual characteristics

to a familiar form.

The japanning on this lacquer

cabinet is richly embellished with

chinoiserie decoration typical of

the early 18th century. More

exceptional is the asymmetrical

design on the sides of the

cabinet and the black mountains

as these are both elements

common to Japanese, as opposed

to Chinese decoration. The

original, robust brass mounts are

clearly European in origin and

the traditional cabinet on stand

form is very much in the English

grand manner. Interestingly,

although the stand is essentially

18th century in form and

decoration, the purplish tinge

to the bole and the wide spaced

cross-hatching would suggest

that it was in fact produced

during the Regency period

specifically for this cabinet.

F2H0538


26 A SET OF TEN FLEMISHLEATHER PANELS

A set of ten mid-18th century

Dutch leather panels, each

decorated with flowers, birds

or theatrical items.

Low Countries, circa 1750

Framed height: 181/4in (46.5cm)

Framed width: 231/2in (60cm)

For a discussion of leather work

from The Netherlands, please

turn to page 12.

P2I0498



27



28


WILLIAM TOMKINS ARA

A wooded landscape with two

men driving cattle along a sandy

path

Signed with initials “W.T.” and

dated 1767

Oil on canvas

Tondo diameter: 271/2in (70cm)

Framed : 33 x 33in (83.8 x

83.8cm)

William Tomkins (1730-1792)

was born in London, and is best

known for being one of the first

generation of English painters of

the picturesque view, though he

also painted occasional animal

pictures and still-lives. His style

is a development of the earlier

‘bird's eye’ view tradition of

landscape painting, and uses

a lower point of view where

the emphasis is on strict

topographical accuracy. His

paintings are therefore of

the utmost historical interest,

and are seldom sullied by

the ‘romanticisation’ of the

succeeding generation of English

landscape painters who placed

considerations of composition

ahead of literal accuracy. At this

date (1767) he painted a number

of landscapes in Hampshire,

including several views for

the Earl De La Warr, including

Bolderview Lodge in the New

Forest (1769).

Tomkins was an Associate

of the Royal Academy of Arts in

London, but seems to have been

itinerant throughout the whole

British Isles. Paintings by him

from places as far apart as

Cornwall and the Highlands

of Scotland were abundantly

exhibited at the Royal Academy

and the Society of Artists,

though he seems to have had

a penchant for painting in the

West Country. Numerous views

of the area are known, including

a view of Plympton (RA 1780)

and a set of four views of

Tapeley Park. He seems to have

been patronised by the highest

levels of local society, and is

recorded as working for Lord

Clifford (1772), Viscount Lisburne

(1773), Joseph Parker at Saltram

(1772, now National Trust), Sir

Charles Kyme Tynte (1771), Henry

Luttrell at Dunster (1773) and

many other major landowners.

He emerges as one of the most

favoured painters of landscapes

and Gentlemen's Seats of the

18th century. The present

painting is unusual in his oeuvre

both on account of its shape,

and also because it is a ‘pure’

landscape rather than a view

of a building in a landscape.

P2I0429


The magnificent giltwood side

table here offered by Mallett is

an example of Baroque giltwood

furniture. A key feature of great

English houses of the first half

of the 18th century was grand

interiors fitted out with large-

scale Classical architectural

features derived partly from

the great temples of Classical

Antiquity and partly from the

Baroque Mannerist churches of

Rome. Alongside this, promoting

it and adding to it with his

essential decorative flourish was

William Kent (1686-1748), who

was encouraged by his royal and

aristocratic patrons to become

the first interior decorator.

Following the architectural

foundations in style advocated

by Andrea Palladio and Inigo

Jones, Kent used motifs in his

interiors with an overall unity of

design. As a result, furniture of

the 1730s is more architectural,

monumental, noble, ornate and

seldom whimsical. Motifs reflect

a serious grandeur, with

pediments, architectural

mouldings, columns, large shells,

and animals such as lions and

dolphins. The quiet elegance

of the Queen Anne period and

gentle ornament of the

George I period were replaced

by unapologetic, massive,

sculptural forms within the

context of Palladian Classicism.

This was an age of confidence,

fanfare and social parades.

Kent based his patterns

on Roman forms with classical

masks, eagles, the heads of gods

and goddesses and sea

references. Grand side tables

were also used as sideboards

in dining rooms, and they are

often decorated with references

to Antiquity’s Feast of Bacchus.

One notable example is Kent’s

design for a strongly

architectural table with bacchic

mask and cornucopia that was

commissioned for Houghton Hall,

Norfolk, circa 1730. The table still

remains in the house and may be

closely related to the Mallett

example. The lion’s head mask,

shells and heavy acorn leaf swags

on the side table at Mallett, are

all typical emblems of the period.

F2H0542

29A GEORGE II GILTWOODSIDE TABLE

An important early 18th century

giltwood side table, the breche

violette marble top with straight

edge above a stop fluted

giltwood frieze, the apron is

centred by a lion’s mask issuing

oak leaf and acorn swags and

with foliate and shell cartouches

on a punched ground. The

cabriole legs are surmounted by

scrolling acanthus, terminating

in boldly carved paw and ball

feet.

England, circa 1730


Width: 721/4in (183.5cm)


PROVENANCE

By repute Ronald and Nancy

Tree either at Ditchley Park,

Oxfordshire, or Mereworth,

Kent. Passed to the Beatty family

through Ronald Tree’s mother,

Ethel Field of Chicago, whose

second husband was the 1st Earl

Beatty, the previous owner’s

grandfather.

By descent to the Hon Nicholas

Beatty, Chicheley Hall,

Buckinghamshire.

ILLUSTRATED

J. Cornforth, ‘Chicheley Hall,

Buckinghamshire’, Country Life,

15 April 2004, page 125, figure 2.

A+++


William Kent’s drawing of the table with a lapis

lazuli top at Houghton Hall, designed by himself,

illustrated in John Cornforth, Early Georgian

Interiors, published by Yale University Press, New

Haven and London, 2004, p. 162.

Chicheley Hall, Buckinghamshire,

illustrated in Charles Latham, In

English Homes, Volume II, 1907, p. 153.

A table with a lapis lazuli top

designed by William Kent in the

White Drawing-Room at Houghton

Hall, illustrated in John Cornforth,

Early Georgian Interiors, published by

Yale University Press, New Haven and

London, 2004, p. 162.

The table shown at Chicheley Hall,

John Cornforth, ‘Chicheley Hall,

Buckinghamshire’, Country Life, 15

April 2004, p. 125, fig. 2, (detail).

Image courtesy of Country Life.


30


31


32 A SET OF TWELVEREGENCY MAHOGANYARMCHAIRS

A set of twelve Regency

mahogany armchairs with

square caned backs with

gilt decoration and scrolled top-

rail and low-rail decorated with

double volute apron. Upholstered

seats and straight arms with

scrolled terminals decorated

with palms, on turned tapering

reeded legs headed by paterae.

One chair with paper label

inscribed “Snr. Marquesa de

Fan...”, another chair with pencil

inscription to back seat-rail

“Queilliada”, two chairs inscribed

on back seat-rail “26018”, several

chairs stamped with letters.

England, circa 1830



Width: 221/2in (57.5cm)


A+

These chairs are a fine synthesis

of the Regency vocabulary. It

is possible to identify among its

features different sources and

influences from the leading

designers of the period:

George Smith in the chair

profile, specifically of its back,

Household Furniture and Interior

Decoration, 1808; Peter and

Michael Angel Nicholson’s The

Practical Cabinet Maker, 1826,

in the Grecian scroll motifs of

the lambrequin in the back; or

even the distinctive reeded leg

profile close to a set of chairs

attributed to George Bullock,

which belonged to the

Portuguese ambassador, the

1st Duke of Palmella.

F2H0543


A BRASS TRIVET WITH ENGRAVEDSCROLLWORK

A mid-18th century brass and

steel rococo trivet; the pierced

serpentine frieze centred on a

coat of arms and a pair of

crossed swords.

England, circa 1760

Height: 17in (43cm)



F2H0147


33


34


35


36


37A CHINESE EXPORT TABLE

A very rare and unusual Chinese

export folding lacquer and

bamboo tea table. The stand is

constructed from finely wrought

sections of bamboo, the upper

frieze having pierced ornament.

The bamboo itself is painted to

enhance its appearance with

stylised cloud patterns. Each

element is numbered in both

Chinese and English. The top

is of fine quality black and

gold lacquer and has a carved

simulated bamboo gallery.

Inspired by Sir William Chambers.

China, circa 1790

Height: 32in (81cm)

Width: 32in (81cm)

Depth: 21in (53cm)

Sir William Chambers’ Designs

for Chinese Buildings, Furniture,

Dresses, etc (published in 1757

after he visited China in his

youth), heavily influenced the

interior decorative schemes of

Brighton Pavilion. These interiors

were designed by the firm of

John Crace & Sons, who the

Prince Regent hired to give

the Pavilion a “Chinese look”.

Originally it was furnished in

1802 with real bamboo acquired

by Crace, possibly through the

cargoes of Dr James Garrett.

Garrett was an agent employed

previously by the Prince at

Carlton House to buy a variety of

Oriental objects and decorations

directly from China. The London

firm of Elward, Marsh and Tatham

were also commissioned at the

same time, to make a large

amount of furniture in beech

simulating bamboo. In some

cases these pieces incorporated

real bamboo, Chinese lacquer

panels and rattan fretwork into

their designs.

In addition two tables with

similar richly decorated bamboo

friezes and legs are housed

in the Chinese Pavilion at

Drottningholm Palace, which

is the largest residence of

the Swedish Royal Family near

Stockholm. The Pavilion was a

birthday present to Queen

Lovisa Ulrica from her husband

King Adolf Fredrik on her 33rd

birthday in 1753. Less than a

decade later, the royal architect,

Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz, was

commissioned to build a new

“China” and this is the pavilion

which still stands. It has been

described as “[a]n exquisite and

unique monument to the passion

for ‘the Chinese taste’ which

swept through 18th century

Europe, an extremely charming

blend of the genuinely Chinese

and of Swedish Rococo, with

touches of Classicism, of French-

inspired chinoiserie and

‘Chinese’ furnishings based on

contemporary English prints.”

During the 18th century

attempts were made to create

a convincing Chinese interior

by using lacquer screens and

wall coverings but the use of

authentic Chinese furniture was

rare. Two exceptions are bamboo

tables in the Bedchamber and

the Ante-room to the Cabinet

on the upper floor. One is

rectangular and the other one

has an octagonal frieze. The tops

are both of black lacquer with no

decoration, the legs of natural

bamboo while the frieze is more

ornate. In both tables the joining

is done entirely by wooden pegs

and plugs, and the round table

has folding legs. This type of

furniture is wholly Chinese, but

could very well have been used

in 18th century exotic interiors.

Bamboo furniture is to be found

in several other Chinese milieux

in Sweden, such as Godegård

and Värnanäsm.

The round table is illustrated

in Äke Setterwall (with other

contributions), The Chinese

Pavilion at Drottningholm,

Allhems Förlag Malmö, Sweden,

1974, p. 145.

LITERATURE

Äke Setterwall (with other

contributions), The Chinese

Pavilion at Drottningholm,

Allhems Förlag Malmö, Sweden,

1974.

Clifford Musgrave, Royal Pavilion:

An Episode in the Romantic,

published by Leonard Hill [Books]

Limited, London, 1959.

Gervase Jackson-Stops, John

Nash: Views of the Royal Pavilion,

published by Pavilion Books

Limited, London, 1991.

F2H0554



38


A RED AND WHITE CHESS SET AND BOARD

A fine early 19th century chess

set in the manner of Lund, of

impressive scale, in red and

white on a rosewood and

satinwood board.

England, circa 1840

Dimensions of board: 26 x 26in

(66 x 66cm)

Height of king: 5in (13cm)

O2I0420

B+

A BOHEMIANCHANDELIER

An unusual and charming

Bohemian gilt bronze and

opaline two-tier fourteen branch

chandelier. Each tier is fashioned

as a gilt basket with leaves and

branches issuing forth. The

leaves are gilt-enriched green

glass and the lower tier has

opaline lily candle socles and the

upper tier peonies. There are

subsidiary flowers intertwining

throughout.

Bohemia, circa 1880

Height: 33in (84cm)

Diameter: 33in (84cm)

L2H0366


39


40


41A QUEEN ANNECONCERTINA ACTIONCARD TABLE

An exceptional early 18th

century walnut and burr elm

concertina action card table;

the shaped top is crossbanded

and has herringbone inlay

borders. The surface lifts to

reveal a baize-lined interior

with candle stands and guinea

wells, the frieze is similarly

crossbanded with herringbone

inlay. The whole is raised on

circular tapering legs with

carved stylish leaf capitals

and terminate in pad feet.

England, circa 1715


Width: 35in (89cm)


F2I0006

A-


A PAIR OF CHINESEARMCHAIRS


lacquer armchairs, each with

a cylindrical scrolled crest-rail

above a central ‘S’ curved

backsplat painted with gold

lacquered cranes flying over

pavilions in a watery landscape

amid rocky outcroppings, the

solid panel seat with a central

foliate medallion, the apron

embellished with angular,

scrolling openwork, all raised

on rectangular legs joined by

low stretchers.

China, circa 1800

Back height: 39in (99cm)


Width: 24in (61cm)


PROVENANCE

Estate of Ruth Meyer Epstein.

The extent of embellishment, in

the form of decorative openwork

to the cresting-rails, the arm-

rails and the apron, render these

chairs a particularly fine example

of Qing Dynasty furniture. The

Qing Dynasty lasted from 1644

until 1911, but reached its peak

during the era of Emperor

Qianlong (1736-1795); its special

style relating to the prosperity

of the Kangxi-Qianlong periods.

Qing armchairs were of a

new form, the designs evolving

from low-back beds and thrones,

with a screen form back. The

back panels and armrests were

always at right angles to the

seat. They were usually placed

either side of a tea table in a hall

and in most important homes a

square table in the main room

would be flanked by Qing

armchairs, where they would

be used to receive important

guests.

F2I0379

�


42


43


44


45A WILLIAM IV AMBOYNA BOOKCASE

An early 19th century amboyna

veneered double-sided bookcase,

the ends with false book backs,

the top and base with gilt

enrichments, all standing

on bun feet.

England, circa 1825




A-

Amboyna was first used in

England during the early 18th

century. There is a dressing and

writing table of inlaid amboyna

at the Victoria and Albert

Museum that dates from the

Queen Anne period. However, it

became particularly fashionable

at the turn of the 19th century

and is most closely associated

with furniture from the Sheraton

and Regency periods. The

amboyna tree is native to the

East Indies, west of New Guinea,

and in particular to the island

of Seram (also called Seran

and Serang and formerly spelt

'Ceram') from where its

exceedingly beautiful and

highly ornamental burls were

once shipped to Europe. (Dutch

trading posts were opened in the

early 17th century and the island

came under nominal Dutch

control circa 1650.) The ordinary

trunkwood from this tree was

not commercially popular and

so the more valuable burls are

simply termed amboyna wood.

F2H0274

A REGENCY MUSIC STAND

The music rest is of elaborately

shaped outline and decorated

with fantastical gilt vignettes

of a musical theme. The gilt

lattice fence rest raises to form

a continuous decoration with

the back. The whole stands on

an ebonised baluster stem set

with neo-classical lacquered

brass mounts, standing on a

concave-sided tripod plinth

similarly decorated.

England, circa 1810



F2I0024

A-


46


47A SWISS CARVEDCONSOLE TABLE

A most unusual late 19th century

Swiss carved walnut console

table. This takes the form of a

naturalistically carved tree with

a fox at the base and a crow at

the top with a piece of cheese

in its mouth, illustrating an

Aesop fable.

Now having a yew wood

demi-lune top.

Marked in the back “T. J.”

Switzerland, circa 1880




C

This type of Swiss carving was

and still is frequently referred

to as Black Forest carving since

it is thought to have been made

in that region of Bavaria.

Nonetheless, the wood carving

industry originated in Brienz in

the early 1800s by the lake with

the same name in Berne canton.

Driven by tourism, the industry

then grew significantly.

During the 19th century

these charming pieces gained

a large following in Europe and

in the US, as the International

Exhibitions of London (1851),

Chicago (1893) and Paris (1900)

played an important role in the

development of this particular

type of carving. One of the best

examples of the adoption of this

taste is the Swiss Chalet, which

Victoria and Albert erected at

Osborne House for their children.

Brought from Switzerland piece

by piece, it was furnished and

decorated with Swiss carvings.

From sculptures to cuckoo

clocks, the variety of pieces

and motifs in Swiss carvings

was immense. Nevertheless our

table is very unusual due to its

narrative quality, representing

one of Aesop’s fables, The Fox

and the Crow. This fable tells the

story of a crow who finds a piece

of cheese. When a fox sees him

ready to eat it, he approaches,

starts to flatter the crow and

so convinces him to sing. With

his ego duly inflated, the crow

begins to caw. When it opens

its beak, the cheese falls and is

devoured by the fox.

F2I0008

A COLLECTION OF 19TH CENTURY BRASSDOORSTOPS

Left hand page, from left to right:

In the shape of a swan

Height: 15in (38cm)

O2I0190

The base cast as a lotus flower


O2I0509

The base in the form of a fox

head

Height: 16in (40.5cm)

O2G0103

The stem with a scrolled handle


O2I0504

The stem with a rope twist


O2I0115

Right hand page, from left to right:

The base as a dolphin and with a

twin dolhin handle


O2I0535

The base in the form of a griffin


O2I0293

The base as facing scrolls

Height: 15in (38cm)

O2I0117

With open scrollwork

by William Tonks & Sons

Height: 13in (33cm)

O2I0345

In the form of a seated dog


O2E0266

�


48


49


50


AN EMPIRE DISH LIGHT

A fine quality twelve branch

bronze and gilt Empire

chandelier. It has a bronze

corona of anthemion and

scrollwork from which is

suspended a rod chain of reeded

bronze elements with gilt leaf

terminals. The main dish itself

is surmounted by a bronze tazza

and is decorated below with

acanthus leaf in high relief with

a bold gilt key pattern border.

France, circa 1810


Width: 26in (66cm)

L2H0612

See cover illustration

ATTRIBUTED TO ROBERT NIGHTINGALE

Four Birds Perched in a Tree

Oil on canvas

Unframed: 22 x 17in

(55.8 x 43.2cm)

Framed: 291/4 x 25in

(74.3 x 63.5cm)

Robert Nightingale (1815-1895)

was from Maldon in Essex.

He became interested in

painting and went on to be

the apprentice to J. Stannard

and later studied at the Royal

Academy Schools.

He painted a variety of

subjects including landscapes,

fruit, birds, portraits and a large

number of horse portraits. He

exhibited four paintings at the

Royal Academy and 25 at Suffolk

Street. For twenty years

Nightingale was commissioned

by the last Lord Chaplin to paint

portraits of his hunters, which

speaks well for his ability to ‘get’ a

likeness. His bird paintings are

quite rare but show beautiful

attention to detail.

P2I0499

51



52


53A QUEEN ANNEKNEEHOLE BACHELOR'SCHEST

A rare early 18th century walnut

kneehole bachelor's chest of

small and narrow proportions

with a fold-over top above a

single long drawer in the frieze,

the kneehole recess with a

cupboard and flanked by three

graduated drawers on either

side, raised on ogee shaped

block supports at the front

and similarly shaped bracket

feet at the back.

England, circa 1710


Width: 31in (79cm)


F2I0015

A


A PAIR OF RENAISSANCEREVIVAL HANGINGLANTERNS

A pair of late 19th century

octagonal bronze patinated

lanterns in the Renaissance

style. Each face is fashioned

as a rounded arch with a foliate

finial above. The domed tops

and base terminate in further

elaborate foliate finials.

Each now having a modern

three branch chandelier.

England, circa 1880



L2H0257

�A CHRISTOPHER DRESSER CLARET JUG

A late 19th century glass claret

jug made by Hukin and Heath,

mounted with a silver plated

band, collar, a hinged flat lid and

an ivory bar handle. Stamped “H

& H” and bears a Registry of

Design mark. Registered May

1881, Shape 2267.

England, circa 1881



O2I0507

C


54


55


56



57AN ELEPHANT HOUSEINK STAND

A very unusual mid-19th

century Louis Philippe gilt

bronze standish, taking the

form of an elephant house

at the zoo with elephants in

the balustraded enclosure

surrounded by fixtures and the

house itself enclosing boxes for

‘stamps’, ‘lights’ and an inkwell.

The whole is supported on

scrolling tracery with wild

animals.

France, circa 1860

Height: 7in (18cm)

Width: 18in (46cm)

Depth: 15in (38cm)

O2H0610B


58 A WILLIAM IV AMBOYNAWRITING TABLE

A mid-19th century centre or

writing table in amboyna wood,

the highly figured rectangular

top is edged with inlaid

calamander in the form of a

running band of inlaid flowers

and foliage, the frieze with two

drawers to one side. The table is

supported by pedestals at each

end similarly veneered in

amboyna and enriched with

finely carved neo-classical

foliate mouldings. The supports

terminate in scroll feet on

castors.

In the manner of George Bullock.

England, circa 1830


Length: 61in (155cm)


A+



59

George Bullock (1782/83-1818)

was a renowned sculptor,

cabinet-maker and entrepreneur.

Although forgotten for many

years, he was recognised as

the foremost exponent of the

Regency style popularised by

Thomas Hope. After a successful

career as a sculptor and furniture

designer in Liverpool, he

moved to London in 1814

and established his furniture

workshop at 4, Tenterden

Street, Hanover Square. His

highly original designs, drawing

on contemporary Greek Revival

and Empire styles, many of which

were published in Ackerman's

Repository of Arts, attracted such

distinguished patrons as

Sir Walter Scott and Matthew

R. Boulton. His most famous

commission came in 1815 when

the British government ordered a

suite of furnishings for the exiled

Emperor Napoleon on St. Helena.

Following his death the artist

Benjamin Haydon commented,

“George Bullock was one of those

extraordinary beings who receive

great good fortune and are never

benefited by it, and suffer great

evils, and are never ruined,

always afloat but never in

harbour” and two years after

his death Richard Brown wrote

in The Rudiments of drawing

Cabinet and Upholstery Furniture

that, “The late Mr Bullock was

the only person who ventured

into a new path....There was

great novelty without absurdity,

as well as a happy relief in his

ornaments.”

It is now part of furniture

legend that this pre-eminent

cabinet-maker was soon

forgotten and it was not until

the auction of the Boulton

house, Great Tew Park in 1987

that his reputation was revived.

The following year Blairman held

an exhibition of his work and

published a catalogue featuring

appraisals of Bullock's work by

Clive Wainwright and Lucy Wood.

His reputation was restored.

The Tew Park furniture is

particularly useful for Bullock

studies as the original bills

survive and signature techniques

and styles can be observed en

masse. In particular the strength

of the overall design is typical

of Bullock's architectural rather

than a pure furniture approach.

F2I0133


60 AN EMPIRE MAHOGANYDESK CHAIR

A most unusual early 19th

century mahogany desk chair

of horse-shoe shape and with a

curious fluted back. The scroll

arm supports are enriched with

gilt bronze mounts. The chair is

supported on carved animal legs

with lacquered brass collars

around the hooves. The whole

standing on a square plinth with

castors below.

France or Russia, circa 1810


Seat height: 15in (38cm)

Width: 19in (48cm)

Depth: 16in (41cm)

F2I0096

A+

Joao researching


A GROUP OF BALL CLOCKS

A group of eight French late 19th

century ball clocks. Each has an

enamelled dial framed with

coloured diamante.

France, circa 1890

Diameter: 21/4 in (5.7cm) to 3in (7.5cm)

O2I0562


61


62 SIR ALFRED MUNNINGS

Gypsies and Greyhounds

Signed

Oil on canvas

Unframed: 20 x 24in (50.8 x

60.9cm)

Framed: 251/4 x 291/4in (64.1 x

74.3cm)

LITERATURE

Sir Alfred Munnings, An Artist’s

Life, 1950.

Munnings made his first visit to

the Hampshire hop-fields in late

August 1913. The hop-pickers

were mainly Romany families

who descended on the county

each year from Bristol, Salisbury,

West Dorset and Herefordshire.

Their colourful wagons and

caravans, flamboyant clothing

and cheerful nature made them

marvellous subjects for the

artist’s brush. He painted day

after day, except Sundays, and

the Romanies provided him with

whatever models he desired.

This delightful painting is

illustrated in An Artist’s Life with

the photo title: “I was painting

these ‘Gippoes’, as I called them,

right to the end of Hop-picking.”

P2I0202



63


64


A DECALCOMANIA VASEAS A LAMP

A bulbous decalcomania vase

of large-scale with chinoserie

decoration on a white ground;

dated 1864 underneath.

Now mounted as a lamp with

a giltwood base.

The vase, France, 1864

Height including shade:

381/2in (98cm)

L2I0287

B

A LARGE-SCALEVIZAGAPATAM IVORYCASKET

A large early 19th century Indian

ivory veneered Vizagapatam

casket. Each surface is completely

veneered in ivory and engraved

with floral borders and neo-

classical ornament, at the centre

of the top there is a vase. The

sandalwood interior is fitted with

three compartments divided by

engraved ivory borders.

India, circa 1820

Height: 4in (10cm)


Depth: 13in (33cm)

O2C0351

C-B


65


66


67A MARQUETRYCOMMODE

An important late 18th century

semi-elliptical marquetry

commode, standing on four

attenuated polygonal cabriole

legs, with a single drawer in the

centre of the frieze and a pair of

doors below. The doors enclose a

pair of drawers and are flanked

by blind quadrant panels at each

side. The marquetry decoration is

executed on a satinwood ground

in the Neo-Classical style, worked

with tulipwood cross-banding

and various forms of stringing.

The legs and the pilasters above

are enriched with gilt brass

mounts.

England, circa 1775



Depth: 22in (56cm)

PROVENANCE

Formerly in the collection of

the 4th Lord Wrottesley, sold

Sotheby’s 28 June, 1968, lot 162.

ILLUSTRATED

Lucy Wood, The Catalogue of

Commodes, HMSO, London, 1994,

p. 138.


A side panel of the Lady Lever commode, illustrated in Lucy

Wood, The Catalogue of Commodes, HMSO, London, 1994, p. 136.

A semi-elliptical commode at

The Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port

Sunlight near Liverpool, must

certainly have come from the

same workshop as this commode

offered by Mallett, in view of

a striking resemblance in

design and decoration in both

marquetry and ormolu. The

Lady Lever commode was

commissioned by the 1st

Lord Ashburton for Bath House

at Piccadilly, London. Both

commodes have identical

marquetry on the main panels

of the façade with classical urns

festooned with husk swags tied

up illusionistically over the

stringing frame of the sycamore

panels. Each also has similar

mounts on the legs, as well as

frieze blockings and interior

drawer construction, with the

exception of the Mallett drawer

fronts being veneered in

fiddleback mahogany without

marquetry. The Lever collection

was assessed in November 1904

and the commode was valued

at the then considerable sum

of £750. Highlights of the Lever

collection were exhibited at

the Royal Academy in 1980 and

this commode featured in the

catalogue as no. 114.

The two commodes from

the Lady Lever Art Gallery and

at Mallett belong to a distinctive

group of marquetry furniture of

French inspiration characterised

by the use of highly figured

veneers, an accomplished

repertoire of marquetry

ornament including trophies,

vases, sprays of roses and trailing

floral borders as well as a number

of recurring models in ormolu.

Lucy Wood, author of the

seminal Catalogue of

Commodes, suggests that

important furniture from the

same unidentified workshop

includes a breakfast commode

at Ham House (London), a

commode from St. Giles’s House

now in the collection of the

Metropolitan Museum of Art

(New York), another two

commodes from Lord Lever’s

collection, and a pair of side

tables also from Lord

Wrottesley’s estate. There has

also been one other strikingly

similar commode from Sundorne

Castle, Shropshire that was

formerly offered through

Norman Adams.

Despite the promising

pedigrees of these pieces,

no firm documentation has

come to light. The Ham House

commode, the two at the Lady

Lever and this example at

Mallett all share similarities

in construction. All have a

secondary carcase top that

is dovetailed to the sides and

screwed to the exterior top.

Interestingly, this feature seems

to be associated with immigrant

cabinet-makers who were


68


69


70


One of a pair of side tables formerly in the

collection of Lord Wrottesley suggested to be by

the same unidentified maker, illustrated in Lucy

Wood, The Catalogue of Commodes, HMSO,

London, 1994, p. 133.

A commode from the same workshop, circa 1775,

commissioned by the Corbet Family for Sundorne

Castle, Shropshire, from the Norman Adams

archive.

A marquetry commode undoubtedly from the same

workshop as the commode at Mallett, circa 1775, at

The Lady Lever Art Gallery and illustrated in Lucy

Wood, The Catalogue of Commodes, HMSO, London,

1994, p. 135.

trained to make carcasses to

support marble tops. The

cabinet-maker of all these pieces

of furniture may prove to be

Christopher Fuhrlohg, who came

to London from Sweden via Paris

in the late 1760s.

The magnificent commode

offered here is a very fine

example of the epitome of

Georgian furniture where design

and outstanding craftsmanship

come together harmoniously.

Its background lies in the passion

that developed among

aristocratic patrons, architects

and furniture makers for things

Roman and related to ‘antique’

buildings, sculpture and

artefacts. Robert Adam relied

heavily on the designs and

ornament of Ancient Rome in his

publications of designs, Works in

Architecture of Robert and James

Adam in 1773-78 and 1779.

Adam’s engravings fuelled a

craze for Roman Classical

grandeur and order and marked a

return to classic restraint and a

greater delicacy of ornament.

The commission for the Mallett

commode fell in the midst of

this trend.

This was a period closely

associated with George III and a

time of extraordinary invention

and prosperity in England. The

cultural elite of the day

commissioned highly refined

Neo-Classical ornament and

design. So unanimous was its

acceptance that it became a

truly national expression

affecting the work of virtually

every English cabinet-maker

and designer including the

partnership of John Mayhew

and William Ince, Robert Adam,

Thomas Sheraton and William

Chambers.

Satinwood was the most

highly valued wood used in the

late 18th century. Together with

the other precious and

interesting timbers used in the

marquetry on this commode, it

came from the colonies; the

West Indies and Ceylon. They

represented the new, rich, light,

colourful and bright age of Neo-

Classicism. The adaptation of

ancient forms into contemporary

classical decoration brought

about a tremendously rich

injection of ornamental forms

based on straight, clean lines

that were in contrast to the

frivolities of the Rococo. The

semi-elliptical marquetry

commode at Mallett represents

the peak of Neo-Classical

furniture design and execution

during a period regarded as the

‘Golden Age’ of English furniture.

F2I0205

A MID-19TH CENTURYBRASS MUSIC STOOL

A charming and most unusual

19th century brass rotating

adjustable height music stool

with a brass seat-rail carrying

handle, supported on four scroll

legs terminating in pad feet,

the seat upholstered in coral

silk velvet.

England, circa 1860



Depth: 131/4in (33.5cm)

F2I0419


71


72 AN EMPIRE GUÉRIDONATTRIBUTED TOALEXANDRE MAIGRET

A French Empire ormolu

mounted and mahogany

guéridon. The frieze is supported

by a boldly modelled, richly

mounted baluster stem. The

whole standing on a stepped

plinth of concave sides

terminating in gilt bun feet.

Attributed to Alexandre

Maigret (active 1775-1826).

With a paper label with the

inventory number “A.1031”

under a count’s crown.

With its original vert maurin

marble top.

France, circa 1810


Diameter: 371/2in (95.5cm)

A+


The cabinet-maker and

upholsterer Alexandre Maigret

began working sometime

between 1775 and 1780 and

had a magasin established at the

fashionable rue Vivienne in Paris.

There he sold not only furniture

but also mirrors and gilt bronzes.

He became an important supplier

of the Garde-meuble Imperiale,

especially as tapissier, working

for almost all of the Imperial

residences such as Versailles,

Trianon, Les Tuileries, Saint-

Cloud, Strasbourg, Laeken,

Meudon and Fontainebleu.

He was one of the paradigms

of the Empire decorative style in

furniture, along with names such

as Jacob-Desmalter and Marcion.

Maigret collaborated with the

Feucheres and Fossey workshops

on the production of ormolu,

a material which was always of

the finest quality in his furniture.

Our guéridon is an excellent

example of the exceptional

quality of mounts used by

Maigret. He passed on his

business to his son Alexandre-

François in 1824, fully retiring

two years later.

It is not only the particular

Empire style design and the very

fine quality mounts which point

to Maigret as the maker of this

piece, but also an example which

has the same mounts stamped

by him and sold anonymously in

Paris in 1988 (Drouot, Cornette

de Saint-Cyr, 18 January, lot 132)

which supports this attribution.

F2I0209

A very similar piece sold at Drouot, Cornette de Saint-Cyr, 18 January

1988, lot 132.


73


7674 A MAGNIFICENT IRISHMAHOGANY DININGTABLE

An early 19th century Irish

mahogany dining table

attributed to Mack, Williams

and Gibton, comprising five tilt-

top pedestal sections and four

matching loose leaves, the

rounded rectangular top of finely

figured mahogany with a deep

reeded edge. The base with

five turned and reeded columns

standing on quadruple splay

legs terminating in polished

brass claw feet and castors.

(The leaves are not original to

the table but of the same origin

and date.)

Ireland, circa 1830


Width: 5 feet 9in (181cm)

Length of pedestals only:

14 feet 21/2in (433cm)

Length with all leaves: 22 feet

(671cm)

PROVENANCE

Alfred Rive, B.A., M.Litt, Ph.D., LL.D

(1898-1970)

A++


This dining table is a unique

example of the best of Dublin

furniture making of the period.

It is comprised of five individual

pedestals and a further four

leaves, designed to separate

and be reformed as is most

convenient. The versatile nature

of the design is in keeping with

the Regency era’s taste for fluid

interior design, whereby such

furniture could be easily altered

in scale as required.

The five pillar sections, when

together reaching just over 14

feet, make up the original table.

The four additional leaves have

been sourced from another

table of the same date and,

remarkably, appear to be made

from the same cuts of timber.

They have the same deep reeded

edges that give the top such

strength. The generously wide

rectangular top is of the finest

West Indian mahogany and the

beautifully grained,

bookmatched veneers are

evenly faded across the table.

The thickness of the solid

mahogany top, almost two

inches at the edges, is a fine

and typically Irish characteristic.

The quality of the wood used

is of an exceptional standard

throughout. Mahogany is used

instead of a secondary timber

even for the undersides of the

table. The pedestal supports are

perfectly proportioned and each

is supported on four splaying

legs, in a Regency saber form.

The sophistication of the design

shows in the reeding around

the curved table top, which

follows through to the legs

and terminals. The only carved

decoration is the single acanthus

leaf found on the hips that serve

as a classical counterpoint to

the shiny brass caps opposite.

This magnificent large-scale

dining table has no identification

marks but appears to have been

made by the firm of Mack,

Williams and Gibton, having the

same features as another bearing

their trade stamp that was

sold through Mallett. A feature

typical of Mack, Williams and

Gibton furniture is the matched

rounded and moulded edges of

both the pillar table tops and

the additional leaves. Overall,

the table, of extraordinary

scale, is in exceptional original

condition. It retains its original

brassware, locks, toecaps and

castors. The excellent condition

75


of the table is largely testament

to Mack, Williams and Gibton’s

solid construction techniques

and quality of materials.

The firm of Mack, Williams

and Gibton

Pre-eminent amongst the

flourishing Irish cabinet-making

trade of the early 19th century

was the celebrated firm of Mack,

Williams and Gibton, latterly

known as Williams and Gibton.

Founded by John Mack in Abbey

Street in Dublin some time

before 1784, the business grew

through the partnership with

Robert Gibton, another

successful Dublin-based maker

in around 1800. The greatest

recognition of their talents came

with the Royal Appointment

in 1806 as ‘Upholsterers and

Cabinet Makers to His Majesty,

His Excellency the Lord

Lieutenant and His Majesty’s

Board of Works’.

In 1812 Robert Gibton died

and was succeeded by his son,

William Gibton (1789-1842).

After John Mack’s death in 1829,

the company carried on as

Williams and Gibton until 1842.

The firm retained the Royal

Warrant for an unprecedented

time and in the first half of the

19th century supplied pieces

for the most prominent public

buildings in Ireland.

Dublin in the Regency Period

At the dawn of the 19th century,

Dublin enjoyed a booming

economy. With the relative

peace after the Act of Union

in 1800, along with growing

prosperity underscored by trade,

the capital’s population rose to

its highest level to that point.

In the previous 50 years the city

had become, in the words of

the Anglo-French surveyor, John

Rocque, “...one of the largest

and most celebrated Cities

of Europe.” The Wide Streets

Commission, appointed by

Parliament, was responsible

for the celebrated city plan

that survives today. Furthermore,

the attention given to the Liffey

quays allowed for the

accommodation of ships laden

with exotic and luxurious

materials from around the world.

It was Dublin’s position as

a strategic major international

port that gave Irish cabinet-

makers an advantage amongst

their peers. Trade ships carrying

the luxury import of mahogany

from Cuba and Honduras

regularly stopped in Dublin, en

route to London, allowing the

local trade to pick the finest

timbers first. Moreover, Williams

and Gibton’s Royal Appointment

no doubt allowed for preferred

status amongst their local

brethren for securing such

quality wood, as exemplified

by the four pedestal table’s

extraordinary mahogany.

Thanks to the almost

constant recognition of the

quality of the firm’s furniture,

a remarkable amount survives

and is prominently displayed in

many Irish museums and houses.

Amongst these are the Four

Courts, Dublin Castle, Aras an

Uachtaráin, the official residence

of the President of Ireland and

Ballindoolin House, Co. Offaly,

the Chapel Royal, and the

Treasury. At the same time,

the firm received commissions

from several major private Irish

houses including Ballynegall, Co.

Westmeath, Oakley Park, Co.

Meath, Strokestown, Co.

Roscommon, and Lissadell, Co.

Sligo. Williams and Gibton are

also represented by several

pieces in the collection of the

National Museum of Ireland at

29 Lower Fitzwilliam Street,

Dublin, the museum’s showcase

for the best Irish furniture.

PROVENANCE

Alfred Rive had a distinguished

career in the Canadian Foreign

Service, becoming part of the

Canadian permanent delegation

to the League of Nations in

Geneva (1935-1940), and

Canadian High Commissioner

in Wellington, New Zealand

(1946-53). He was later appointed

Canadian Ambassador to Ireland

between 1955-63. He purchased

the table from an antique dealer

in Bath in the late 1940s or very

early 1950s for his house in

Canada. The Bath dealer had

bought it in Ireland shortly

before. The table subsequently

returned to Ireland once again

before coming to Mallett.

F2I0259

A comparable dining table stamped by Williams and Gibton, image

from Mallett archive, 2007.

Mallett Autumn Gatefold 9/29/08 12:43 PM Page 1

77


79

Mallett Autumn Gatefold 9/23/08 5:04 PM Page 2

80


A GEORGE II IRISHMAHOGANY SILVERTABLE

An important George II Irish

mahogany silver table, the dished

top above an elaborately shaped

frieze carved with ‘C’ scrolls and

vines with a punched

background, the cabriole legs

are headed by acanthus leaves

terminating in squared paw feet,

the sides with similar carving.

Ireland, circa 1750

Height: 28in (71cm)

Width: 32in (81.5cm)

Depth: 21in (53.5cm)

PROVENANCE

The Guinness Family, Saint Annes

House, Clontarf.

A+


Irish furniture of the 18th

century is characterised by an

ebullient spirit that contrasts

with the restraint of English

pieces from the same period.

Irish carvers gave way to an

abundance of Celtic spirit in

their craftsmanship, which

was demonstrated by a bold

and muscular style. The carved

friezes and legs of furniture

were embellished with

expressive acanthus scrolls,

flat diaper carving, hairy paw

feet and highly imaginative

carved lions’ heads and

grotesque masks. This animal

influence strongly permeates

Irish design culture and its

manifestation in the furniture

making tradition has created an

expressive and unique style. The

trait of animal elements in the

tradition of Irish architectural

and furniture design, which were

used prolifically in Irish

Romanesque carving, dates

from the influence of The Book

of Kells, a pristinely illustrated

manuscript of the four gospels,

providing a vibrant and rich

source of animal imagery. It was

written in the monastery of Iona

in the 6th century to honour

Saint Columba and has provided

a lasting legacy in Irish culture.

The mahogany used in Irish

furniture is sumptuous and of

the finest quality, with traders in

Irish ports selecting the best of

the timbers off shipments from

the Americas. The quality of both

material and craftsmanship in

Irish furniture have combined

with the rarity of such pieces to

create a flourishing renaissance

in the demand for Irish furniture.

F2I0219

81


82 A FINE GEORGE II CARVEDGILTWOOD PIER MIRROR

A mid-18th century carved

giltwood pier mirror, the

rectangular mirror plate is set

within a giltwood frame edged

with ‘C’ scrolls, foliage and

pendant flowers, the sides with

small pavilions on a rockwork

base with floral, scrolling and

icicle motifs. The pediment

is centred by a finely carved

pavilion with architectural

columns and spires on rockwork,

the apron similarly ornamented

with ‘C’ scrolls and a central

cartouche enclosing a spray

of flowers and rockwork with

waterfalls.

England, circa 1755

Height: 61in (155cm)

Width: 313/4in (80.5cm)

A+


As the 18th century progressed,

the Classical Palladian style

gradually gave way to more

eclectic tastes, resulting in the

lighter, more playful Rococo

style. A more relaxed social

climate and exotic interpretations

of the Far East, compounded by

the revocation of the Edict of

Nantes and hence the influx of

French craftsmen into England,

were catalysts in this process.

This mirror is a fine example

of the English Rococo style.

Incorporating elements of

chinoiserie, naturalistic, organic

motifs and the distinctive

rocaille ornament, it displays an

exuberance and frivolity

characteristic of the time.

Designs similar to this mirror

can be seen in the drawings of

Matthias Lock (1710-1765), an

outstanding English carver and

designer who was one of the

earliest craftsmen to introduce

these playful designs. He

published A New Drawing Book

of Ornament in 1740 and Six

Sconces in 1744, bridging the

gap between the robust

Palladian designs of Kent and

the whimsical fantasy of Thomas

Johnson. Lock was recorded at

two London addresses: Castle

Street in Long Acre in 1746 and

at Tottenham Court Road in

1752. It is believed that he was

engaged by Chippendale for

certain drawings and wood

carving. Between 1740 and 1765,

he published numerous books of

designs for furniture, including

mirrors and girandoles, at all

times reflecting the most

current fashions of the period.

LITERATURE

H. Schiffer, The Mirror Book,

Shiffer Publishing Ltd.,

Pennsylvania, 1993.

G. Child, World Mirrors: 1650-

1900, Sotheby’s Publications,

1990.

S. Roche, Mirrors, Rizzoli

International Publications, New

York, 1985.

E. White, Pictorial Dictionary of

British 18th Century Furniture

Design, Antique Collectors’ Club,

Suffolk, 1996, pp. 331-335.

F2I0314


83


86


A PAIR OF PARCEL-GILT BENCHES

An exceptional pair of North

Italian parcel-gilt two-seater

benches. Each is carved on the

top edge with foliate decoration

above a recessed frieze with

a scroll of applied foliate

ornament. The benches are

supported by gilt reeded ‘X’

frame legs enriched with further

foliate ornament and joined by a

boldly carved baluster stretcher.

Now upholstered in yellow

damask.

Italy, circa 1800

Height: 17in (43cm)


Depth: 19in (48cm)

F2I0168


87


A PAIR OF LARGE 19TH CENTURY GILTLANTERNS


circular, rococo revival lanterns

of large-scale, the ‘C’ and ‘S’

scroll-shaped canopy supporting

five glass panels, each of

serpentine form, bordered by

decorative foliate scroll gilt

frames with a central foliate

motif, terminating in bud-shaped

finials, with a three branch

chandelier.

England, circa 1870



O2H0510A+

�


88


89


90


91A GEORGE III CARVEDMAHOGANY TRIPODTABLE

A mid-18th century mahogany

tripod table; the octagonal

gallery top has brass stringing,

and finely turned baluster

supports. The stem is spiral

fluted above laurel leaf carving,

all standing on reeded scroll legs

and terminating in block feet.

England, circa 1760

Height: 291/4in(74cm)


F2I0315


A PAIR OF GILTWOOD MIRRORS

A pair of late 18th century neo-

classical giltwood mirrors, each

surmounted by a neo-classical

vase issuing an open anthemion.

This in turn is supported on a

pedestal hung with a gilt swag.

The sides are strung with

honeysuckle swags and the base

is enriched with ‘C’ scrolls and

foliate ornament.

The mirrors retain their

original mirror plates.

England, circa 1780



Depth: 11/2in (3.5cm)

F2I0438

�


92


93


94 A GEORGE IIIMAHOGANY TEA TABLE

A mid-18th century mahogany

tea table, the pierced rectangular

gallery is carved with fretwork,

above a blind fretwork frieze on

a pounced ground, with further

blind fret carved legs with

pierced brackets.

Ireland, circa 1760

Height: 28in (71cm)



A+

The Chinese style fretwork on

this table is laid on a ‘pounced’

ground, designed to give more

prominence to the smooth

raised fretwork. This pouncing is

a characteristic of Irish furniture,

often seen on the aprons of side

tables. The way in which the

top is attached with glue blocks,

rather than screws, is also an

Irish characteristic.

Rectangular tables with

raised, pierced rims, were

described by Chippendale in his

Director of 1754 as “china tables”

for the very fashionable activity

of tea drinking. Sixty-four

illustrations were devoted to

Chinese-type furniture, such was

the demand for extravagancies

from the East. Similar in function

to the tripod table, tables such

as this example could be moved

into a drawing room with tea

bowls and other porcelain placed

upon it. The fretted gallery

prevented the porcelain from

being swept off by accident and

also conveyed the sophistication

of its owner’s taste and the skill

of the cabinet-maker.

F2I0317


A BRACKET CLOCK BYJOSEPH MARTINEAUAND SONS

A late 18th century mahogany

bracket clock by Joseph

Martineau & Sons, London.

The small break arched case

with three raised brass-mounted

panels surmounted by a gilt

brass carrying handle and

standing on brass ogee feet.

The arched dial with maker’s

signature and a strike / silent

subsidiary dial to the arch. The

eight day movement with verge

escapement, rack striking and a

well engraved backplate.

England, circa 1790


Width: 11in (28cm)


O2I0166

B


95


96

Exhibited at the Royal Academy

1780 number 344 as A Privateer

Cutter. This was Luny's first

London exhibit, and was sent

from his lodgings at The Anchor,

Hope Street, St. George's,

Middlesex.

Thomas Luny (1759-1837) was

born in London in 1759 and was

trained by the distinguished

marine painter Francis Holman.

Luny's early paintings have very

much the feel of his master,

though his palette tends to

be slightly lighter. He started

exhibiting at the Society of

Artists in 1778 and at the Royal

Academy in 1780 – his paintings

were exhibited there every year

until 1793, the year of the

outbreak of the French

Revolutionary War. Luny

volunteered for service with the

Navy, with whom by now he had

an intimate acquaintance as a

painter - most of his patrons

were navy men. He seems to

have produced no more paintings

from this date until about 1802,

when he once more sent a

picture to the Royal Academy.

Paintings before Luny joined

the Navy are both rarer and finer

than those he produced after the

end of his service and the reason

is not hard to find. He retired

from the Navy with severe

arthritis in his hands, and this

caused a diminution in the

‘fineness’ of his paintings, which

after c.1805 become much

broader in treatment. It seems

likely that he retired to his studio

in Teignmouth to be near his

former Captain and mentor,

THOMAS LUNY

A Privateer Cutter in the Downs

off Walmer Castle

Signed and dated 1779

Oil on canvas

Unframed: 36 x 55in (91 x 137cm)

In a fine gilded Georgian frame


George Tobin RN, who had

likewise retired to that town.

Luny was a prolific painter,

despite his disability, and by 1837

was able to have a retrospective

exhibition in Bond Street with

130 of his works on display. At his

death, he was a prosperous and

successful man, leaving a fortune

of £14, 000 to his daughter who

had long assisted him. There are

examples of the artist's work in

a great many museums around

the world, including the National

Maritime Museum (40), Bristol,

Exeter, Plymouth and the

Peabody Museum of Sail,

Salem, Massachusetts.

Cutters were fast vessels

mainly employed as auxiliaries to

the war fleets, but also in civilian

use. They were normally armed

with up to ten guns and, being

fast and handy, were much used

by the Revenue service in anti-

smuggling operations. They

were later also used in the Trinity

House pilot service. Privateers,

as their name suggests, were

privately owned and manned

armed vessels which were

used by the government to

supplement Royal Navy ships

as occasion (usually a war)

demanded. Their reputation was

not the purest, and on occasions

the owners and masters were

known for their depredation of

allied merchant shipping if no

enemy plunder were to hand.

The boat in the present painting

is particularly heavily armed

(apparently 22 guns) for a Cutter.

P2I0138

97A VERY FINE GEORGE IIIMAHOGANY BREAKFASTTABLE

A late 18th century mahogany

breakfast table. The finely

figured tilt-top is of rounded

rectangular form and cross-

banded in satinwood. The turned

pedestal stands on four curving

legs terminating in brass castors.

England, circa 1790

Height: 28in (71cm)


Depth: 43in (109cm)

F2I0442

A+

�


98


99


100


101A PAIR OF ANGLO-INDIAN CHAIRS


teak side chairs. Each profusely

decorated with inlaid floral

motifs and quatrefoils in ivory

and ebony. The arched backsplat

flanked by turned baluster

column supports. The chairs

are supported on unusually

fashioned cabriole legs similarly

decorated and are joined by

stretchers and terminate in

claw feet.

India, probably Vizagapatam,

circa 1820

Height: 39in (99cm)

Width: 181/4in (46.2cm)


Ivory inlaid furniture made in

Vizagapatam in the 18th and

early 19th centuries illustrates

how rapidly furniture designs

were transmitted from

cosmopolitan centres to the

colonial periphery at that time.

The city, the centre of textile

production with a port on the

northern stretches of the

Coramandel Coast, attracted

European settlers and hence

a demand for Western style

furniture. The timber, including

the teak seen in these chairs,

could easily be obtained from

nearby forests or imported via

the local port and artisans of the

Kamsali caste married their own

skills of ivory inlay to Western

influenced designs.

It is likely that many of the

technical skills used in the early

workshops at Vizagapatam were

learnt from carpenters, aboard

visiting European vessels,

travelling between Europe and

the Far East, and the joinery

tends to be fairly crude. The

beginning of the 19th century

however, saw an improvement

in the technical aspects of

Vizagapatam work, evidenced

by cleaner and more regular

joints and greater attention

to the quality of decoration.

Other fine examples of

Vizagapatam work exist in the

collections of the Victoria and

Albert Museum with a suite

of three chairs and a daybed

manufactured in Vizagapatam

between 1700 and 1720.

Other related examples are at

Charlecote Park, Warwickshire

(now a National Trust property)

and Raynham Hall, Norfolk.

LITERATURE

A. Jaffer, Luxury Goods from India:

The Art of the Indian Cabinet

Maker, V & A Publications,

London, 2002.

A. Jaffer, Furniture From British

India and Ceylon, V & A

Publications, London, 2001.

F2I0391

C


TWO RÉGENCEGILTWOOD SIDE TABLES

Two outstanding Régence period

giltwood side tables having a

central bearded mask in the

frieze, which is repeated at the

capital of the legs. The friezes

are decorated in low relief with

strapwork and a lattice with

foliate patera at the centre,

all set against a cross-hatched

ground. The lattice-work

continues down the cabriole legs

into the scroll toes. The table is

joined by an 'X' frame stretcher

of square cross-section scrolls

which are enriched by acanthus

leaf carving and recessed panels

of strap-work and cross-

hatching. At the centre of the

stretcher is an elongated

hexagonal element carved with

further lattice-work and

ornament.

The tables have replacement

white marble tops.

Germany, circa 1730

Height: 32in (81cm)

Width: 54in (137cm)


F2C0537

�


102


103


104 A TWELVE-FOLDCOROMANDEL SCREEN

An important early 18th century

Chinese coromandel double-

sided screen with very fine

decoration on both sides, on

a prune coloured ground. The

front face is decorated with an

elaborate cityscape depicting

vignettes of aspects of palace

life, with the Emperor at the

centre watching dancers,

bordered with auspicious

emblems and exotic beasts.

The reverse has gilt and

polychrome landscapes.

All achieved in an unusually

soft palette.

China, circa 1700


Width: 2401/4in (610cm)


Coromandel was the term given

in the 17th century to the

Chinese trade of incised lacquer,

in which the pictorial elements

of the lacquered surface are

defined by the different depths

to which the lacquer has been

cut revealing the ground coating

which is then coloured. In China

it is known as ‘kuan cai’ which

means ‘cut out and coloured

lacquer’.

It was first recorded in a

document in Xiu Shi Lu; a 16th

century book about the lacquer

industry. The technique was

used on large screens, usually

consisting of twelve panels. The

production was concentrated

in the Southern region of China,

close to the sea ports, namely

in the provinces of Fujian,

Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui.

Coromandel itself is a

misnomer because the lacquer

did not originate from the

Coromandel Coast of East India

but from the Chinese coastal

provinces surrounding Canton.

The explanation for this term is

that much of the British shipping

sailed from the East India Trading

Company's ports in India, directly

to Britain, rather than from

China, the lacquer being

christened 'Coromandel' from

its port of landing rather than

from its port of origin.

‘Kuancai’ or Coromandel

lacquer was originally known

in Britain as Bantam lacquer.

The name comes from the fact

that Bantam was an important

trading post of the English East

Indies Company in Java, when

the screens started to be

imported to this country.

Folding screens were

important elements of Chinese

and Japanese households and

were used for protection,

concealment or as partitions.

Some of the Coromandel

lacquer screens have surviving

inscriptions which tell us that

they were usually made

as birthday presents for

distinguished individuals, or

as gifts to mark the retirement

or promotion of high-ranking

officials. There are several

screens which have been dated,

allowing us to stylistically date

ours from the period of the 17th

to the 18th century, during the

Kangxi reign (1661-1722); the

period when the screens started

to arrive in Europe. This trade

continued well into the 19th

century.

Large Coromandel lacquer

screens, like the one at Mallett,

usually have a central portion

surrounded by a large border.

The types of decoration used

in the central portion can be of

several types and divided into

palace scenes, scenes from

the world of immortals,

representations of flora and

fauna, panoramic views and

Chinese figures in landscapes.

Our screen clearly presents one

palace scene. Several tales and

stories seem to have inspired

these scenes (such as The Tale

of the Three Kings or The Tale

of the Water Margin).

Our screen represents a

palace with dignitaries shown

in a horizontal composition, and

should be read from right to left,

as with all screens. On the right

hand side we see a delegation

waiting to enter the walled

palace, guarded by sentinels and

by a statue of a lion. Within the

walls, in the centre of the screen,

a high dignitary is honoured in

the main pavilion by a group of

women playing music for two

elegant dancers. By the stairs

of the pavilion two groups of

courtiers wait; one made up

of dignitaries and the other

of soldiers, representing the

two pillars of authority in

which Chinese society was based.

Access to the pavilion is made

by two lateral staircases flanking

a strip depicting a dragon, which

is a typical symbol of the power

of the Emperor or other

dignitaries. According to De

Kesel and Dhont, “the bearers of

the imperial litter mounted the

steps in such a way that the

emperor floated between them

over the glowing ‘dragon’s path’”.

This symbol may refer to a king

from the distant past, but it

could also be for a senior official.

In front of this staircase there is

a flower container with peonies;

the king of flowers and a symbol

of distinction. By their side, as

symbols of longevity, two deer

play. Surrounding the central

scene is a main border decorated

with a combination of several

types of motifs. In the upper part

the motif the ‘One Hundred

Antiquities’ is depicted. These

consist of Chinese pre-historical

objects made of jade or bronze

combined with flowers and

vases. On the lower section are

mythological beasts (animals

taken from Chinese legends,

the Zodiac or from Buddhist

symbolism). On the border’s

sides there is the sky dragon or

‘Tian long’. Dragons symbolise

prosperity and happiness and the

sky dragon, shown behind clouds,

represents the guardian of the

property of the gods.

The wonderful and unusual

prune colour, the quality and

complexity of the designs, the

unusually high number of figures

depicted (170) and the very good

condition makes this screen not

only a very fine example of the

kuan cai technique but also an

extraordinary window into this

period of Chinese society, by

which Westerners have always

been fascinated by.

LITERATURE

William De Kesel and Greet

Dhont, Cormandel Lacquer

Screens. Gent, Art Media

Resources Ltd., 2002.


105


106



107



108



109



110 A GEORGE III BRASS AND STEEL FIRE GRATE

An Adam period brass and

steel fire grate, decorated with

engraved ornament and having

a pierced serpentine apron with

bead moulding and Vitruvian

scrolls. The whole surmounted

by classical finials and raised

on square tapered legs.

England, circa 1790

Height: 28in (71cm)

Width: 33in (84cm)

Depth: 17in (43cm)

F2I0407

C


A WILLIAM IVCANTERBURY

An unusually large mahogany

canterbury having five

compartments and two drawers

in the frieze. The canterbury

stands on column legs enriched

with carved collars and reeding

at the frieze drawer height. The

corners with terraced roundels

to collared and fluted columnar

supports, turned legs and brass

castors. The front and sides are

bordered with Greek key pattern

Tunbridge-ware inlay.

England, circa 1830



Depth: 18in (46cm)

F2I0389


111


112


113AN EARLY 18THCENTURY GILTWOODPIER MIRROR

A very fine early 18th century

giltwood pier mirror of large-

scale, the shaped and bevelled

plate contained within a carved

and gilt gesso frame, the scrolled

cresting centred by a plumed

male mask, the shaped apron

centred by a scallop shell.

England, circa 1720


Width: 261/4in (66.5cm)

A+


Mirrors such as this would have

been placed on the pier wall

between two windows. They

were highly prized for their

decorative quality as well as for

the value of the mirror. Towards

the end of the 17th century,

Bernard Perrot, working at

Tourlaville, developed the casting

method making it possible to

create larger sheets of glass. At

this time, mercury was used to

produce the reflective surface.

This mirror plate is shaped and

bevelled, or ‘diamond cut’, as it

was termed in the 18th century.

Diamond cutting was described

in Art of Glass by A. Blancourt,

published in 1699, and was

achieved by “grinding crystal on

drift sand and water, as much as

you think convenient”.

With the central mask set

into the crest and scallop shell

motif at the base, this giltwood

frame is an early example of the

uniquely British Palladian style.

Palladianism was first seen in

about 1715, largely transmitted

through the work of British 17th

century architect, Inigo Jones.

Objects created for these

interiors were based on Classical

forms with symmetrical designs

and features such as columns,

pediments, masks and shells;

their forms deriving from

Antique examples.

Benjamin Goodison, a

cabinet-maker in Royal service

from 1726 until his death in

1767, produced mirror designs

with masks and plumed

pediments, similar to the one

featured here. Known examples

of his work can be seen at

Hampton Court Palace where he

made three mirrors for Frederick,

Prince of Wales, in 1732-33.

LITERATURE

F. Lewis Hinkley, Queen Anne and

Georgian Looking Glasses, Old

English and Early American,

New York University Press, 1987.

G. Child, World of Mirrors, 1650-

1900, Philip Wilson Publishers

Limited, 1990, pp. 73-75.

F2I0410

A PAIR OF CHINESEPORCELAIN COCKERELS


Chinese porcelain cockerels with

finely moulded heads and combs,

and perched on rockwork.

China, circa 1820



O2I0531


114


115A CHARLES X BRASSINLAID GUÉRIDON

A Charles X circular tilt-top

guéridon, the rosewood top

inlaid with brass banding and

vines around a central floral

cartouche, supported on a

triangular concave stem on

three splayed legs, inlaid

with further brasswork and

terminating in brass castors.

France, circa 1820


Diameter: 38in (96.5cm)

F2I0416


A PAIR OF REGENCYTWELVE LIGHTCHANDELIERS

A pair of late Regency twelve

light cut-glass chandeliers

with ormolu mounts attributed

to John Blades, the base is

fashioned as a bowl from

overlapping prism cut rods,

the socles are foliate cut-glass

hung with rule drops. The

centre of the chandelier is

a stylised fountain surmounted

by a corona of shells and foliate

ornament.

Now electrified.

England, circa 1830


Width: 35in (89cm)

A+

John Blades is first recorded in

the London Guide for 1783 at

Ludgate Hill, where he remained

until his death in 1829. He

achieved early success, being

recognised as “Cut-glass

manufacturer to His Majesty”

in the record of his marriage in

April 1789. The first recorded

surviving pieces by Blades are

two chandeliers for the

courtroom of the Drapers

Company. During the early 19th

century, Blades expanded his

business into the Middle Eastern

market and India, furnishing

lustres, candelabra and even an

extraordinary green glass gothic

tomb for the Nabob of Oudh.

The shop in London

expanded rapidly at the end of

the Napeolonic Wars as Blades

developed new designs to

compete with France in this

luxury market. He employed the

architect J.B. Papworth not only

to design his showrooms, but

also to design his suites of light

fixtures, vases and even dessert

services, in the Neo-Classical

taste. Papworth was responsible

for the introduction of long,

oblong drops in 1822 which were

described as being "full of

prismatic beauty” by

contemporary commentators.

These drops can be seen hung

from the pans and rings on this

pair of chandeliers.

After the death of Blades,

the firm was taken over by

Francis Jones and continued by

his sons until 1857. The quality

of the metalwork and crispness

of the glass cutting incorporated

in new designs, enabled Blades

to be at the forefront of glass

manufacture and to be known

at the time of his death as “the

great glass man of Ludgate Hill”.

L2I0078

�


116


117


118


119A CHARLES X IRON FAUTEUIL

A Charles X wrought iron and

gilt metal desk chair having an

arcaded coved back, scroll arms

and gently splaying back legs

with a removable seat.

Attributed to Gaudillot

Frères & Roy.

France, circa 1835


Back height: 36in (91cm)


Depth: 18in (46cm)

Apart from the Tula factory in

Russia, metal was infrequently

used for interior seating.

Nonetheless, a few firms did

make iron chairs for the home.

The firm of Gaudillot Frères

& Roy had existed in Besançon

since 1829 producing rolled

tubes, first for railings and

balustrades, and later applying

the technique for furniture

construction such as for beds

and also for garden furniture.

The tubes required two thirds

less material than solid iron and

their rigidity and the resulting

lightness were valued as

advantages in their own right,

being particularly suited for the

interior. A contemporary design

journalist visiting the Industrial

Exhibition of 1845 commented

about a chair showed by

Gaudillot Frères as follows: “it

combines great lightness with

unusual durability and is just

as at home in the drawing

room in winter as in the garden

in summer, when you may

exchange the upholstered seat

with one woven from rushes”.

The Gaudillot Frères & Roy

catalogue of 1845 shows some

beds and garden furniture which

resemble our fauteuil, namely

in the paterae motif used in

the cross joints and the dolphin

in the curved back. The simple

shape of the back of one chair

shown also matches the shape

of ours. The hybrid character

of the fauteuil (iron made with

design and comfort appropriate

to interior living), makes it very

unusual and also points clearly

to the attribution to this French

factory.

A design for a closely related

chair is illustrated in the Beds

and Garden Furniture catalogue

from Gaudillot Frères and Roy,

Bescançon, circa 1845, in Georg

Himmelheber, Cast Iron Furniture

and all other Forms of Furniture,

Philip Wilson Publishers, London,

1996, p. 50.

F2I0418


TWO BOHEMIAN GILDEDGLASS DECANTERS

Two rare glass flasks, cut and

gilded with red threads in the

twisted stoppers, each with verre

eglomise roundels incorporating

aristocratic German armorials.

Bohemia, circa 1720



O2I0413

B


120 A PAIR OF GEORGE IIIGILTWOOD ARMCHAIRS

A fine pair of late 18th century

giltwood armchairs, the square

backs with carved uprights, the

arms being carved, fluted and

scrolled with elbow pads

supported on four sabre legs.

England, circa 1780





F2I0421

C



121


A PAIR OF LATE 19THCENTURY FRENCH TÔLECHANDELIERS


six branch polychrome tôle

chandeliers naturalistically

painted in the form of a bunch

of flowers.

France, circa 1880



L2H0390

B

�


122


123


124 ATTRIBUTED TO JAMESBARBUT AND PETERMONAMY

Exotic Ducks and ducklings on the

water's edge, with ships at anchor

flying the red ensign and firing a

salute, and a distant view of a

coastal fort (perhaps Walmer

Castle, Kent) in the distance

Oil on canvas

Unframed: 45 x 57in (114.3 x

145.4 cm)

In a carved and gilded frame

Works of this genre are

exceptionally rare in English

painting, and the few examples

which survive from the 17th

and 18th centuries owe their

origin to a small number of

mid-17th century Dutch painters

such as Willem Ormea (1611-

1665) and his pupil Jakob Gillig

(1636-1701); the latter of which

painted a number of views of

animals, fish and birds on the

sea-shore in the foreground

with distant prospects out to

sea. These were normally done

in collaboration with a marine

painter: usually Abraham

Willaerts in Ormea's case.

It seems certain that

the present painting is also

a collaboration between two

hands: the marine painting is

very reminiscent of the later

work of Peter Monamy, whose

style is based on Dutch

prototypes. This type of distant

coastal prospect is common

enough in Monamy's work

(notably in the National

Maritime Museum), but the

addition of the exotic birds

animals and shells in the

foreground is virtually unique

in 18th century England. The

carefully observed sea-shells

recall the work of the rare

English painter James Barbut

(c.1711-1788), who exhibited

a few still-life oil paintings of

seashells, in a style closely

related to the present picture,

at the Royal Academy in its early

years, but who also provided

‘from nature’ drawings for

books on crustaceans, worms

etc. illustrative of Linnaean

taxonomy.

The exotic-looking ducks

though seem to derive from

prototypes by Adriaen van

Oolen (d. Amsterdam 1694)

and, ultimately, Melchior

d'Hondecoeter, the great Dutch

painter of fowl (1636-1695), both

of whom frequently painted

such subjects.

P2I0481



125



126


127A MARBLE SCULPTUREOF VENUS

An Italian white marble mid-19th

century model of the Crouching

Venus after the Antique.

Italy, circa 1850

Height: 24in (61cm)

Width of base: 91/2in (24cm)

Depth of base: 13in (33cm)

B

Several versions of ‘The

Crouching Venus’ are known, all

of them thought to be copies of

a Greek statue made in the third

century BC, mentioned by Pliny

as being by Doidalses and placed

in one of the temples in Rome.

Although this ‘Venerem’ is not

proven to be the same, all of

the copies found from the 16th

century onwards were related

to this passage by the Roman

scholar. These copies were

Roman and all had slight

variations. This sculpture of

Venus, or Aphrodite, Goddess of

Love, which Mallett presents, is a

copy of the statue in the Vatican

Museums in Rome. The Vatican

marble shows the crouching

Venus with a vase at her feet,

her face looking slightly down,

her right arm covering her

breasts and her hand elegantly

raised. It was excavated at Salona

in Croatia, in the second half of

the 18th century. It was etched

by Francesco Piranesi, the son

of Giovanni, and then taken by

Napoleon’s army. It was returned

to the Vatican in 1816.

Other famous versions of

the Crouching Venus include the

Medici Venus, which is housed

in the Uffizi in Florence and the

Lely Venus, first recorded in the

Gonzaga collection, which was

bought by Charles II, owned by

Sir Peter Lely and currently on

loan from the Royal Collection

to the British Museum.

Modern sculptors were

touched by the quality of

this Hellenistic model and

Giambologna, Coysevox and

Carpeaux are among those

who produced other ‘Crouching

Venus’ statues.

O2I0210


TWO PAIRS OF EARLY18TH CENTURYJAPANNED SIDE CHAIRS

Each has a red lacquer backsplat

decorated with gilt chinoiseries

framed by black lacquer side-

rails. The seat-rails are of an

elaborate serpentine form and

are supported on cabriole legs

terminating in pad feet.

Now upholstered in velvet.

England, circa 1730


Seat height: 17in (43.5cm)


Depth: 19in (48cm)

A+

These unusual chairs are an

example of a fusion of British,

Dutch and Chinese tastes. With

the accession of William and

Mary to the English throne,

England’s ties with the Low

Countries were fortified. In the

beginning of the 18th century,

partly influenced by Dutch taste,

chair design became distinctly

more elegant and refined with

more emphasis on comfort and

the flowing scrolled lines of the

arms, crestings and cabriole legs.

The result was the Queen Anne

chair, typically comprising of a

curvilinear frame, baluster or

vase shaped backsplat and

cabriole legs. During the first

half of the 18th century, chair

design was largely derived from

this shape and the elegant

design of these chairs owes its

origin to this period. Increased

trade with the Far East was also

influential in chair manufacture

with the introduction of oriental

elements to English furniture

making. Japanning, a technique

employed by Western craftsmen

to imitate the precious

lacquerwork of Chinese

craftsmen, became extremely

popular. In fact, European

chinoiserie reached its peak

during the reign of Queen Anne

with the publication of A Treatise

of Japanning and Varnishing

written by John Stalker and

George Parker in 1688. This led

to a great enthusiasm for

the art and to fine examples,

such as this set of four chairs,

particularly distinctive with

the use of japanning in both

red and black, embellished with

a profundity of gold decoration.

These chairs may be compared

to similar examples produced by

Giles Grendey, a London-based

cabinet-maker who ran a thriving

business from his workshop in St

John’s Square. Grendey famously

supplied a suite of red japanned

furniture to the Spanish Duke of

Infantado, comprising of at least

seventy-seven pieces.

F2I0150

�


128


129


130 A SHIBAYAMA CARVEDIVORY ELEPHANT

A fine quality large-scale 19th

century Shibayama carved ivory

elephant depicted with its

trunk auspiciously raised and

ornamented in the traditional

manner with elaborate mother-

of-pearl and semi-precious stone

enrichments. Draped over the

elephant's back is a blanket

bordered with a key pattern and

having elaborate tassels at the

ends, the body with densely

carved mother-of-pearl flower

heads in a variety of natural

colours. At the centre of the

back is an intricately carved

lotus flower.

Japan, circa 1830




A+


Shibayama is an art form

originating in the town of

the same name in Japan.

Semi-precious shells or stones

in variant colours are inlaid or

applied on lacquer and ivory.

Many different items can be

decorated in the Shibayama

style such as vases, boxes, table-

screens and swords and even

entire ivory tusks. An elephant

with a raised trunk is an

auspicious Asian symbol of

good fortune and hospitality.

Intact Shibayama pieces are

rare and so are highly valuable

and collectable.

O2I0478


131


132


133


A QUEEN ANNE WALNUT SETTEE

An unusual small-scale Queen

Anne walnut settee having a

serpentine back and outscrolled

arms. It is supported on cabriole

legs at the front with carved

shells at the knee and terminates

in pad feet.

The settee is now upholstered in

late 17th century English

needlework.

England, circa 1710



Width: 44in (112cm)

Depth: 28in (71cm)

The wool and silk needlework is

beautiful. Of English origin, circa

1700, it is of cross-stitch worked

in wool with silk highlights, the

brightest yellow shade and the

now faded light pink. The white

silkwork background has been

replaced later but is wholly

appropriate.

The knot strapwork and leaf

design is ultimately related to

Renaissance lace and cutwork

patterns, adapted from pattern

books and used in bed hangings,

for upholstery and in small-scale

on costume and in 17th century

English samplers.

This textile has been saved,

restored and fitted to the settee

in keeping with early 18th

century use.

F2I0501

FERDINAND VON RAYSKI

A Golden Pheasant

A naturalistically rendered

watercolour of a golden pheasant.

Signed and dated.

Germany, circa 1826


Framed width: 28in (71cm)

P2I0169


134


135


A GEORGE II CARVEDWALNUT STOOL

A magnificent mid-18th century

walnut stool, the square cabriole

legs carved at the knees with

acanthus leaves continuing

to scrolled brackets and

terminating in hairy paw feet;

the seat upholstered in moss-

green damask.

England, circa 1740



Depth: 17in (43cm)

This stool belongs to a small

group of carved George II walnut

stools which are conceived with

the same strong cabriole legs of

almost square section, headed

by crisply carved flowing

acanthus leaves and ending

in heavy claw and ball feet.

A comparable pair of stools

were sold through Mallett in the

1990s; one of these is stamped

with the initials “IDS” which was

presumably the initials of the

cabinet-maker. The construction

of this stool is sufficiently

robust to be able to dispense

with stretchers, making the

design far less cluttered with

more focus on the deep and

crisp carving.

F2I0312

A PAIR OF PARQUETRYÉTAGÈRES

A pair of Napoleon III parquetry

three-tier étagères. The tops

having pierced brass galleries

above frieze drawers with

two shelves below. Each tier

is spaced by ebonised baluster

supports and has a repouse

brass edge and is decorated

with diamond parquetry.

France, circa 1870


Width: 16in (41cm)


F2I0424

B


136 A COLLECTION OF 19THCENTURY COLOUREDGLASS BOTTLES

(from left to right)

A pair of wrythen ruby bottles

with stoppers

Height: 13in (33cm)

O2I0304

A group of three plain glass

coloured bottles in green,

blue and purple


O2I0303

A group of three coloured

glass bottles with vertical

ribs in brown, blue and green


O2I0305



137

(from left to right)

A faceted amber bottle

with stopper


O2I0288

A set of three glass

bottles with stoppers in red,

yellow and pink


O2I0146

A faceted blue over clear

glass bottle with stopper


O2F0132

A faceted cranberry over

clear glass bottle with stopper


O2F0134

A faceted green over clear

glass bottle with stopper


O2F0133

A faceted pale-green glass

bottle with stopper


O2I0253



138 MALLETT & SON (ANTIQUES) LTD

141 New Bond Street

London W1S 2BS

Telephone + 44 (0)20 7499 7411

Fax + 44 (0)20 7495 3179

Lanto Synge Chief Executive

Thomas Woodham-Smith Managing Director

Michael Smyth-Osbourne Finance Director

Giles Hutchinson Smith Director

Richard Cave Director

Felicity Jarrett Associate Director

Nicholas Wells Associate Director

João Magalhães

Sally Holbrook

Gemma Watson

JAMES HARVEY BRITISH ART

15 Langton Street

Chelsea

London SW10 0JL

Telephone +44 (0)20 7352 0015

Website: www.jamesharveybritishart.com

Email: [email protected]

James Harvey Director

Elizabeth Dellert

Thomas Mangnall

MALLETT INC

929 Madison Avenue at 74th Street

New York

NY 10021

Telephone 001 212 249 8783

Fax 001 212 249 8784

Henry Neville President

Justin Evershed-Martin

Telephone +44 (0)20 7495 5375

Fax +44 (0)20 7495 3197

Website: www.madebymeta.com


Giles Hutchinson Smith Director

Henry Neville Director

Alison Sachs Managing Director

Eleonore Halluitte Production Manager

MALLETT PLC

DIRECTORS

George Magan* Chairman

Lanto Synge Chief Executive

Michael Smyth-Osbourne

Lord Daresbury*

James Heneage*

Giles Hutchinson Smith

Eloy Michotte*

Henry Neville

Thomas Woodham-Smith

*Non executive

VISIT OUR WEBSITE

www.mallettantiques.com


Mallett & Son (Antiques) Ltd 2008

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Printed in England by BAS

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Mallett Catalogue 2008

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