A George III white carrara and pink granite chimneypiece, circa 1789, in the manner of James Wyatt

the rectangular moulded shelf above a leaf-carved cavetto frieze and two granite panels flanking a central tablet of a reclining Bacchante, between granite panelled pilasters headed by leaf-wrapped volutes and capitals carved with ribbon-tied urns hung with grapes

Commissioned by Sir Bourchier Wrey (7th Bt.) for Tawstock Hall, Barnstable, Devon, circa 1789;
thence by descent until sold Christie’s London, Important English Furniture, 4 July 2002, lot 191

A finely carved chimneypiece in overall reasonable condition. Colour of granite pinker than the tone illustrated in the catalogue image. Generally with minor old chips and scratches - notably to peripheral edges and rear edge of mantelpiece - entirely consistent with age and use. The chimneypiece will need professional installation and has evidence of filler from past installation. A grand piece. PLEASE NOTE: The mantelpiece piece with a noticeable loss to left corner - which is present - and will need re-fixing. Please ask department for additional images.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This impressive chimneypiece was designed for Sir Bouchier Wrey (d.1826) in the late 1780s and most probably formed part of his dining room at Tawstock Hall, Devon. The chimneypiece is inlaid in the fashionable 'Roman' manner with tablets of rose-red Italian marble mottled in the Egyptian granite fashion. Tawstock Hall was the family home of the Wrey family, whose ancestors owned the estate since the mid-fifteenth century. The present house was largely built after a fire in 1786 or 1787. Until the middle of the seventeenth century the estate was the central part of the North Devon holdings of the Bourchier Earls of Bath. With the death of the 4^th Earl of Bath in 1637 without a male heir, the title lapsed. The Earldom continued through another line until 1654 when he too died without issue. At this point the estates of the 5^th Earl of Bath were inherited by his three daughters, one of whom married Sir Christopher Wrey (d.1668). This particular chimneypiece was removed in 1970 when Tawstock Hall became St Michael’s School.

The architectural features of the chimneypiece relate to the work of the architect James Wyatt (d.1813), and it is thought that the chimneypiece was commissioned from John Bacon, R.A (d.1799). This follows on from an initial scheme in 1790 when Sir Bourchier Wrey consulted the architect Sir John Soane (d.1837) for designs for a dining room chimney-piece, but appears to have rejected this idea. The reclining pose in the central tablet is similar to a river nymph that Bacon designed in the 1770s and relates to his later designs for nymphs emblematic of the Cardinal Arts.