An Early George III Mahogany Serpentine Commode in the Manner of Thomas Chippendale, Circa 1765

With L. Loewenthal, London;

Sir Robert Cooke, Athelhampton House, Dorsetshire;

Dukes, Dorchester, Athelhampton House on the Premises, 9 October 2019, lot 149;

Rolleston, London.

The Antique Dealers' Fair And Exhibition, 1951, cat. p. 63.

The Antique Dealers' Fair And Exhibition, 1951, displayed by L. Loewenthal

Certain constructional aspects of this elegant commode are associated with the documented work of Thomas Chippendale's workshop, including the stacked block feet, S-shaped keyholes and superior quality and figuring of the mahogany. Unusually the canted corners are carved with neoclassical elements rather than the more typical blind Chinese/Gothic fretwork or foliate and fruit swags found on related pieces with a gently serpentine façade (see lot 1071 in this sale), marking the transition from the mid-century Rococo to the newly fashionable 'Roman' taste emerging under the influence of the architect and designer Robert Adam (1728-1792). Ornamental motifs such as paterae and ribbon-tied bellflower swags began appearing in carved mahogany furniture in the mid-1760s, seen on the clothes press designed by Adam for Coventry House and produced by John Cobb with carving by Sefferin Alken in 1766 (now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, W.20:1 to 24-1978).¹ Chippendale introduced similar decoration into his work shortly thereafter, notably on the celebrated library table and chairs supplied in 1766-68 to one of his most important patrons, Sir Rowland Winn 5th Bt at Nostell Priory, Yorkshire.²

S-shaped keyhole locks are also found on case pieces attributed to the St Martin's Lane cabinetmaker John Cobb (1715-1778), who worked in partnership with William Vile from 1751 until the latter's retirement in 1764, and with whom he held a Royal Warrant from 1761-1764, supplying important furniture to the young George III and Queen Charlotte. A serpentine mahogany chest of drawers very similar to the offered commode with identical lion's mask drawer handles, attributed to the Vile and Cobb workshop, was sold Christie's London, 15 July 2020, lot 137, and this distinctive model of handle has been associated with other commodes attributed to Cobb after he became an independent producer in 1764.

Constructed for the Martyn family in the late 15th and 16th centuries, the Grade I listed Athelhampton House in Dorset is one of England's most important and best preserved Tudor houses. Over the centuries its ownership has passed through several different hands, and in 1957 the estate was acquired by the Cooke family, who restored the house and gardens and filled the interiors with a distinguished collection of 17th century and Georgian furniture (see also lot 1004 in this sale). The house was visited several times in the 19th century by Thomas Hardy, whose father worked as a stonemason on the property, and more recently it has been used as a location for films including the 1972 Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine mystery Sleuth and appearing on the cover of England's Thousand Best Houses (2003) by the London journalist Simon Jenkins.

¹Illustrated in E. Harris, The Genius of Robert Adam. His Interiors, London, 2001 p. 59 fig. 86

²Still in situ in the house (National Trust), illustrated in C. Gilbert, The Life and Work of Thomas Chippendale, New York 1978, Vol. II p.92 fig. 150 and p.240-41 fig. 440-41.