A George III harewood, marquetry and ebonised commode circa 1770, attributed to Mayhew and Ince

the serpentine shaped top with a central, garlanded paterae, flanked by further rosettes, within a bowed rosette border and tulipwood banded and ebonised moulded edge, above an arcaded anthemia inlaid frieze on a satinwood ground, the serpentine  front inset with a painted panel within a marquetry surround, between turned, fluted and guilloche carved tapering uprights, the sides with doors inlaid with slender urns opening to reveal on the left a shelf and the right a set of four graduated mahogany fronted and lined drawers, the whole raised on water-leaf carved and gadrooned toupee feet

R.D. Shafto Esq., Bavington Hall, Capheaton, Northumberland.
Sold by the above, Christie's London, 24 November 1979, lot 65.
Acquired from Partridge Fine Arts Ltd., London, 13th July 1987.

H. Roberts, 'The Derby House Commode', Burlington Magazine, May 1985, pp. 282-283, fig. 20.

This commode is in good conserved condition, having a highly polished surface with marks and scratches consistent with age and use. The top has a closed shrinking crack to its width and a small repaired patch to veneer. The front shows three repaired shrinking cracks (middle, left and right) plus one other fresh crack to right. There is a repaired shrinking crack and a small crack to left side door of cabinet and two shrinking cracks to right door. The painted panel is in good condition showing nice craquelure and with one small restored patch to right hand side. The moulding probably re-ebonised.
"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 remarkable commode, an early neo-classical tour de force, can confidently be attributed on stylistic grounds to the firm of John Mayhew and William Ince. Theirs was one of the most successful and enduring cabinet-making partnerships of the eighteenth century. They are first recorded as partners in December 1758, advertising from an address at Broad Street in January 1759. Earlier Mayhew had been apprenticed to William Bradshaw, and Ince to John West, before forming a brief partnership after West`s death in 1758 with Samuel Norman and James Whittle. In 1763 they were described as `cabinet-makers, carvers and upholders’, and in 1778 `manufacturers of plate glass’ appeared on their bill heading. From 1780s the categories of `cabinet maker’ and upholsterer predominate, reflecting the change in taste from carved to veneered and inlaid furniture, which was more fashionable. One of their early ventures was to publish The Universal System of Household Furniture in 1762 which included eighty-nine numbered plates and six smaller ones dedicated to 4^th Duke of Marlborough. The relative failure of this work, which was issued in only one edition, was probably caused by the distinctly Rococo manner of the designs which was to become rapidly unfashionable in the next few years due to the rise of the neo-classical taste reflected in the present commode. The partnership was quick to embrace these new forms as is shown by their own work and their involvement with Robert Adam himself in making furniture to his own designs for many of his important clients. Mayhew and Ince worked for many notable patrons who included the Prince of Wales, 5^th Duke of Devonshire, 5^th Duke of Bedford and 1^stDuke of Northumberland.

The current commode belongs to a group of commodes, attributed to Mayhew and Ince, and illustrated most fully by Hugh Roberts, in his Burlington Magazine article discussing the Derby House commode. In this article he illustrates four other examples of this serpentine form, each of which have the same configuration with solid fronts and doors opening to the ends. Each front is centered by a medallion, the current commode is the only example amongst these five which includes a painted metal panel, the others use marquetry in these devices.
The other four commodes are;
A satinwood and marquetry example with ebonised borders in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum (Roberts, fig. 19).
A satinwood and marquetry example, possibly supplied to the Earl Whitworth and subsequently at Swallowfield Park, Berkshire, most recently sold Christie's London, 9th July 2005, lot 250 (Roberts, fig. 21).
A mahogany and marquetry example with ormolu mounts, in the collection of the Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight, Merseyside (Roberts, fig. 22).
A pair in satinwood, harewood and marquetry supplied to 2nd Viscount Palmerston, for Broadlands, Hampshire, where they remain (Roberts fig. 23).

Further examples related to this group are illustrated and discussed by Lucy Wood in Catalogue of Commodes, London, 1994, nos. 23-27, pp. 203-235. The commode offered here shares many stylistic similarities with these commodes and those illustrated by Hugh Roberts and detailed above. The paterae design to the top is a recurring motif, and on the serpentine commodes all include fan motifs to the corners of the panels. The doors to the ends are all inlaid with urns, and the use of the ebonised mouldings is apparent on those commodes which do not display ormolu mounts. The Derby House commode, arguably the most celebrated of this group, displays ram-mask supports to the urns between the major panels which are also replicated in the current lot to the end doors. Few other individual elements of the marquetry appear to have been replicated between these commodes, the masterful cabinet-makers appear to have relished to opportunity to be inventive each time, though as discussed in Hugh Roberts' article the Derby Commode was specifically designed by Robert Adam no doubt to co-ordinate with the overall scheme of the room, it is possible the design of other commodes bear the influence of the great classical architect.