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Lot Essay
The highly original design of these commodes, with their panelled corbels and dolphin-form supports, appears to be unique. Their daring conceit and the quality of the timbers and mounts, however, clearly indicates that a leading London workshop was responsible for their execution. The lustrous timbers and use of foliate devices enclosed in slightly recessed panels is characteristic of furniture supplied by Royal cabinet-maker William Vile (d.1767) for the Royal family. A notable example is the pair of medal-cabinets which was probably supplied as a single cabinet in 1750 to Frederick, Prince of Wales and was altered by Vile in 1760-61, now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (see A. Coleridge, Chippendale Furniture, New York, 1968, pl.21). A carved giltwood chest attributed to Vile at Longford Castle (where Vile is recorded as working) exhibits overall carved details in low and high relief on a punched ground. The feet on this chest compare particularly closely to the outset flowerhead-embellished corner panels on these chests (illustrated op.cit., pl.30). A further writing-table attributed to this maker from Ashburnham Place shares the same pattern of the carved top edge (ibid, pl.3). In support of another possible attribution, similar idiosyncratic dolphin feet feature on a labelled piece by Giles Grendey (d.1780) that was sold, the property of a Lady, Christie's London, 8 July 1999, lot 140. Similarly, a padouk chest attributed to Channon at Brodick Castle, Scotland features boldly conceived handles that compare to the lifting handles to the sides of these commodes, as well as a closely related carved apron (see C. Gilbert and T. Murdoch, 'Channon Revisited', Furniture History, 1994, p.73, figs.9-12).
Sporting dolphins first feature in G. Brunetti's Ornaments, 1736, while the dolphin-footed chair, as published in de la Cour's First Book of Ornaments, 1741, was adapted to a 'French chair' pattern, published in Thomas Chippendale's The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director, 1754, pl.XX (pl.XXI in the 1762 edition). Chippendale further uses the dolphin motif in designs for candlestands (pl.CXLV), cisterns (pl.CLI) and pedestals (CLI) (reproduced here). The dolphin foot appears on many examples of seating furniture including a suite comprising six chairs and a pair of stools of circa 1755, of which one chair and a stool are in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (see D. FitzGerald, Georgian Furniture, 1969, pl. 54, fig.57A), and a further pair is in the Jon Gerstenfeld collection, Washington, D.C. (see E. Lennox-Boyd, ed., Masterpieces of English Furniture: The Gerstenfeld Collection, London, 1998, p. 214, no. 46). Another similar pair of armchairs from the collection of Lady Baillie at Leeds Castle was sold by Samuel Messer, Christie's London, 5 December 1991, lot 74. The giltwood cabinet base, lot 179 in this sale, also features such dolphin feet.
The dolphin motif figures in the crests of a number of prominent families including the Godolphins of Rialton and Helson, Cornwall, the Courtenays (Devon) of Powderham and the Kennedys (Ailsa) of Culzean and Cassilis. By virtue of their position at court, these commodes may have been originally commissioned by the 2nd Earl Godolphin (d.1766), Cofferer to His Majesty and appointed Groom of the Stole and First Gentleman of the Bedchamber in 1723 and Governor of the Scilly Isles in 1733. The Courtenay family also commissioned various examples of furniture prominently incorporating the dolphin motif in their design, including a suite of seat-furniture supplied for the Music Room at Powderham of circa 1790 by Marsh and Tatham, and sold by Lord Courtenay, Christie's London, 5 July 1990, lots 50-51 and 5 December 1991, lots 222-223. In view of a possible Channon attribution, it is interesting to note that Channon supplied furniture for the Courtenay family, including the magnificent library bookcases to which later dolphin bases were added in around 1840 (see C. Gilbert and T. Murdoch, op.cit., pp.66- 67, figs.1-2).
According to the typewritten label in the drawer of one commode, these commodes were acquired from Albert Victor Baillie, Dean of Windsor who was appointed to this office in 1917. While their earlier history is not known, the Dean appears to have been a passionate collector whose 'more than twenty rooms in the house [were] all crowded with pictures and furniture' (see H.Bolitho, My Restless Years, London, 1962, pp.135-136).
Sporting dolphins first feature in G. Brunetti's Ornaments, 1736, while the dolphin-footed chair, as published in de la Cour's First Book of Ornaments, 1741, was adapted to a 'French chair' pattern, published in Thomas Chippendale's The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director, 1754, pl.XX (pl.XXI in the 1762 edition). Chippendale further uses the dolphin motif in designs for candlestands (pl.CXLV), cisterns (pl.CLI) and pedestals (CLI) (reproduced here). The dolphin foot appears on many examples of seating furniture including a suite comprising six chairs and a pair of stools of circa 1755, of which one chair and a stool are in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (see D. FitzGerald, Georgian Furniture, 1969, pl. 54, fig.57A), and a further pair is in the Jon Gerstenfeld collection, Washington, D.C. (see E. Lennox-Boyd, ed., Masterpieces of English Furniture: The Gerstenfeld Collection, London, 1998, p. 214, no. 46). Another similar pair of armchairs from the collection of Lady Baillie at Leeds Castle was sold by Samuel Messer, Christie's London, 5 December 1991, lot 74. The giltwood cabinet base, lot 179 in this sale, also features such dolphin feet.
The dolphin motif figures in the crests of a number of prominent families including the Godolphins of Rialton and Helson, Cornwall, the Courtenays (Devon) of Powderham and the Kennedys (Ailsa) of Culzean and Cassilis. By virtue of their position at court, these commodes may have been originally commissioned by the 2nd Earl Godolphin (d.1766), Cofferer to His Majesty and appointed Groom of the Stole and First Gentleman of the Bedchamber in 1723 and Governor of the Scilly Isles in 1733. The Courtenay family also commissioned various examples of furniture prominently incorporating the dolphin motif in their design, including a suite of seat-furniture supplied for the Music Room at Powderham of circa 1790 by Marsh and Tatham, and sold by Lord Courtenay, Christie's London, 5 July 1990, lots 50-51 and 5 December 1991, lots 222-223. In view of a possible Channon attribution, it is interesting to note that Channon supplied furniture for the Courtenay family, including the magnificent library bookcases to which later dolphin bases were added in around 1840 (see C. Gilbert and T. Murdoch, op.cit., pp.66- 67, figs.1-2).
According to the typewritten label in the drawer of one commode, these commodes were acquired from Albert Victor Baillie, Dean of Windsor who was appointed to this office in 1917. While their earlier history is not known, the Dean appears to have been a passionate collector whose 'more than twenty rooms in the house [were] all crowded with pictures and furniture' (see H.Bolitho, My Restless Years, London, 1962, pp.135-136).