A Regency ormolu-mounted and brass inlaid mahogany breakfront side cabinet, circa 1810, in the manner of George Smith

of breakfront outline with ormolu mounted frieze above a pair of central panelled doors fitted with two short and three long drawers flanked by deep drawers with dished fronts inset with massive ormolu lion masks over further cupboards on ormolu paw feet

Scotney & Son, Stamford, Lincolnshire, where acquired in 1942 (£26. 5s.) and thence by descent until sold Golding Young and Co. Auctioneers, 10^th August 2005 (£135,000 hammer).
Property from a Distinguished Private Collection, together with lots 14, 31 and 38.

Overall in good conserved condition. Thin shrinkage cracks to the top which emanate from the sides, some of which have been treated. The gilt-brass mounts are excellent quality and have been cleaned. Small repairs and loses to veneers throughout. The sides with shrinkage cracks, some of which again appear to have been treated. The inside of the left cupboard door has a shrinkage crack and a repair near the upper hinge. The drawers are cedar lined. Minor old marks and scratches throughout commensurate with age.
"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 exquisite side cabinet of exceptional quality is designed in the French antique fashion promoted around 1800 by the connoisseur Thomas Hope (d. 1842) and popularised through his guide to his mansion museum on Duchess Street, London, issued as Household Furniture and Interior Decoration, 1807.  Hope's mansion was visited by George Smith (d. 1826), who specialised in the 'Drawing' of cabinet-making and upholstery and served as 'Upholder' to George, Prince of Wales, later George IV. Amongst Smith's, Collection of Designs for Household Furniture and Interior Decoration, published in 1808 are many elements that can be found on the current cabinet including the frequent use of reeded or fluted pillars enriched with lion-mask tablets.

The current cabinet bears similarities to a group of open bookcases supplied by the Mayfair based cabinet-maker George Oakley to James Henry Leigh (d. 1823) for Stoneleigh Abbey, Warwickshire between 1813 and 1819 part of which was sold Christie's London, 8th June 2006, lots 24 and 25. The use of the bold lion mask mounts also relates to a sideboard which was supplied to Charles Madryll Cheere of Papworth Hall in Cambridgeshire. It is described in the monumental dining room as a 'capital mahogany sideboard supported on a stand, reeded legs, and carved and bronze paw-feet with antique bronze heads' and with pedestals to match (the pedestals illustrated by Margaret Jourdain, 'English Empire Furniture made by George Oakley', Architectural Review, December, 1920, pl.IV).

George Oakley (1733-1840), who at times worked with other cabinet-makers such as George Shackleton, John Evans and Henry Kettle, produced pieces known for the architectural quality of their design and the high standard of craftsmanship. At the close of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth century, English taste closely followed the classicism of the French Empire, thus developing more richness, variety and solidity. Although many cabinet makers never fully mastered the use of applied chased ormolu mounts in the same manner as the French, the current cabinet is surely an exception in the exceptional quality displayed. Indeed George Smith declared in a trade catalogue that English cabinet makers superseded that of other countries in accurancy and precision of their joiner's work.

By creating pieces in the fashionable Grecian taste and pioneering the use of 'Buhl' inlay, Oakley garnered the attention of the Royal Family and received the honor of Royal Appointment in 1799. In May of 1799, the Morning Chronicle noted a visit to Oakley's showrooms stating 'the ROYAL FAMILY, with the PRINCE and PRINCESS of ORANGE did MR. OAKLEY the honour of viewing his Printed Furniture Warehouse in New Bond Street; when the MAJESTY, the Duke and Duchess of YORK, and the PRINCESS, &c., highly approved of the splendid variety which has justly attracted the notice of the fashionable world'.

There were few exceptional bronziers working in Regency London but one of the finest and most noted was the Paris-trained bronze founder Alexis Decaix (d. 1811) who first opened his premises at 15 Rupert Street, Piccadilly in 1794. The quality of the current mounts would imply that these were made by a founder of some skill and owing to Decaix's exceptional work he became highly regarded by the cognoscenti of Regency London. Such was Thomas Hope's enthusiasm over his discovery of Decaix that he wrote in the introduction to Household Furniture and Interior Decoration;
'Throughout this vast metropolis, teeming as it does with artificers and tradesman I have, after the most laborious search, only been able to find...[one man]...to whose industry and talent I could...confide the execution of the more enriched portion of my designs: namely Decaix...a bronzist and a native of France...'