Thomas Moore
Head of Department
Lot 17TP
An Irish George II mahogany secretaire cabinet circa 1745
5 April 2017, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond StreetSold for £11,250 inc. premium
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An Irish George II mahogany secretaire cabinet
circa 1745
the flowerhead and floral carved swan neck pediment with a reverse ogee cornice, above bead-and-reel and egg-and-dart mouldings flanking a scrolled foliate carved cartouche cresting, over a bevelled mirror-inset panelled door with patera upper angles flanked by canted stop-fluted Corinthian pilasters, enclosing three shelves, with a removable secretaire drawer below, enclosing six short drawers, four pigeon holes and one long drawer, above a baize inset slide and one long frieze drawer, over six short graduated drawers flanking a central recessed arched door to the kneehole, enclosing one shelf, on shaped bracket feet, 107cm wide x 57cm deep x 220cm high, (42in wide x 22in deep x 86 1/2in high)
the flowerhead and floral carved swan neck pediment with a reverse ogee cornice, above bead-and-reel and egg-and-dart mouldings flanking a scrolled foliate carved cartouche cresting, over a bevelled mirror-inset panelled door with patera upper angles flanked by canted stop-fluted Corinthian pilasters, enclosing three shelves, with a removable secretaire drawer below, enclosing six short drawers, four pigeon holes and one long drawer, above a baize inset slide and one long frieze drawer, over six short graduated drawers flanking a central recessed arched door to the kneehole, enclosing one shelf, on shaped bracket feet, 107cm wide x 57cm deep x 220cm high, (42in wide x 22in deep x 86 1/2in high)
Footnotes
The present cabinet loosely derives from designs featuring in Isaac Ware's 1738 translation of Four Books of Architecture by Andrea Palladio (1508-1580). However the offered lot seems to more closely follow a walnut bureau cabinet executed in London, circa 1725, by Samuel Bennett which features in C. Gilbert and T. Murdoch, John Channon and brass-inlaid Furniture, 1730-60, 1993, fig. 44, p. 59. The latter's fluted pilasters flanking a mirrored door, along with its elegant swan neck pediment and Rococo scrolled foliate cartouche cresting all re-appear in a very slightly altered guise on the offered model, despite it being executed approximately 20 years later than Bennett's precursor.
Of the other significant forerunners, the renowned pair of Powderham Castle library bookcases, which each have attached to them a brass plaque engraved: 'J. Channon, fecit 1740', are variously illustrated in the same Channon book, fig.'s 4, 6, 132 and XXIII, p. 9 and pp.'s 106-113. The Powderham bookcases, together with a selection of bureau cabinets produced during the period 1740-5 by John Channon (1711-1779), but including two probably made by Lendall and Gordon, appear to have virtually identical fluted or stop-fluted Corinthian pilasters to the present example, Ibid, fig.'s 47, 61, 66 and 70, pp.'s 61-73.
A comparable Irish George II cabinet, dated 1745-50, sold at Christie's, London, The English Collector and Tapestries, 31 October 2012, lot 264. Other related furniture includes: An Irish cabinet sold Christie's, London, 30 November 2000, lot 103 and an Irish linen press sold Christie's, New York, Important English Furniture, 17 October 2008, lot 85.
However, perhaps the most significant comparable model to feature in a sale in recent years was an Irish George II mahogany secretaire cabinet, circa 1740, sold at Christie's, London, 22 January 2009, lot 515. This cabinet shares a number of similar characteristics in common with the offered lot and these include a similar overall form, a distinctive kneehole desk lower section, mirrored doors and an elegant swan neck pediment carved with flowerheads. Also variants of this type and date appear illustrated in The Knight of Glin and J. Peill, Irish Furniture, 2007, London.
Literature
C. Gilbert and T. Murdoch, John Channon and brass-inlaid Furniture, 1730-60, New Haven and London, 1993.
The Knight of Glin and J. Peill, Irish Furniture, 2007, London.
