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19847
An Exceptional Lacquer-Mounted Side Cabinet In the Antiquarian Taste
An Exceptional Lacquer-Mounted Side Cabinet In the Antiquarian Taste
Dimensions: H: 38 in / 97 cm | W: 63 in / 160 cm | D: 23 in / 58 cm
PRICE: £90,000
19847
An Exceptional Lacquer-Mounted Side Cabinet
In the Antiquarian Taste
Possibly Supplied by Baldock
The original marble top with thumbnail moulded edge, above the breakfront cabinet rising from tapering feet shod with acanthus cast sabots, the apron centred by a bearded mask, the sides and tripartite front all housing earlier coromandel lacquer panels dating to the 18th century within stiff leaf ormolu framework, the frieze with ormolu acanthus mounts and a central scrolling foliate mount. The locks marked Comyn Ching & Co.
English, Circa 1845
The particular design of this commode, with a tripartite façade, was pioneered by French cabinetmakers of the 18th century such as Adam Weisweiler, who equally employed Asian lacquer to great effect. The ormolu mounts are related to designs from André-Charles Boulle, who worked for King Louis XIV, thus blending several Ancien Régime design sources.
The present commode however, is a rare English interpretation of this French invention. Only a handful of English cabinetmakers were able to satisfy the demand for 'Louis' style furniture in the opening decades of the 19th century. Diana Davis has documented the pioneering work accomplished by craftsmen such as Thomas Parker (who specialised in Boulle marquetry), and Edward Holmes Baldock who was blending antiques with contemporary craftsmanship.
The present cabinet bears distinct similarities to the furniture supplied by Baldock in the 1830s to Bowhill House and Drumlanrig Castle, one inlaid with hardstone panels and the other with Boulle marquetry panels, respectively. Likewise, during the 1840s Town & Emanuel were producing furniture of a similar type with comparable ormolu mounts, often inlaid with Porcelain panels. The presence of locks supplied by the Seven Dials maker Comyn Ching & Co (fl. 1841- 1890) on the present cabinet equally suggests a dating of the 1840s, when this style was at the height of fashion in England.
See 'British Furniture 1820 to 1920' by Christopher Payne, 2023, pp. 92-97, for examples by Baldock and Town & Emanuel.
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