Lot Essay
This grate was commissioned by George William, 6th Earl of Coventry, who had employed Lancelot Brown to build a splendid new house at Croome from 1751 onwards. Robert Adam completed the decoration in the 1760s and the furnishings were supplied by almost every leading cabinet-maker of the age.
The grate is designed in Adam's antique style of the 1760s -- its vase-capped herm feet support a flowered guilloché frieze, whose fretted Grecian palmettes derive from the Erektheon ornament, illustrated in James 'Athenian' Stuart, Antiquities of Athens, 1762, and its bands of palmettes, beeds and Vitruvian scrolls relate to Adam's grate design of 1765, which was manufactured for the Gallery at Croome (Sir John Soane's Museum, London, Adam's designs, vol. 17, no.121). Adam also designed furniture and fittings for Lord Coventry's London house in Piccadilly and it is possible that this grate was originally at Coventry House rather than Croome. Coventry House was given up in 1848 and most of the contents were removed to Croome. The Coventry family moved out of Croome Court in 1948, although a number of fittings were left in the house, which was first let and then subsequently sold. This grate remained in the Gallery after the sale of the house replacing the more elaborate grate made to Adam's 1765 design. In the 1760s grates with fret and engraved ornament were provided for Croome designs by the Birmingham grate-maker and locksmith, Thomas Blockley (1705-89) and it is possible that he provided this particular grate.
Paktong, a name derived from the Chinese word meaning white copper, is a rare non-tarnishing alloy of copper, nickel and tin or zinc. Its unusual qualities, especially suited to such purposes as chimney-furniture, were well recognised in 18th Century Europe (A.Bonnin, Tutenag & Paktong, 1924, pp.18-51) and from about 1750, a restricted number of articles including grates are known to have been made in England from this material. It appears to have been particularly favoured by Robert Adam whose name has been linked with the designs for several grates of paktong including a pair from Battle Abbey complete with fenders and fire-irons (op. cit., pls. II-IV) sold in these Rooms, 19 November 1987, lot 60.
The grate is designed in Adam's antique style of the 1760s -- its vase-capped herm feet support a flowered guilloché frieze, whose fretted Grecian palmettes derive from the Erektheon ornament, illustrated in James 'Athenian' Stuart, Antiquities of Athens, 1762, and its bands of palmettes, beeds and Vitruvian scrolls relate to Adam's grate design of 1765, which was manufactured for the Gallery at Croome (Sir John Soane's Museum, London, Adam's designs, vol. 17, no.121). Adam also designed furniture and fittings for Lord Coventry's London house in Piccadilly and it is possible that this grate was originally at Coventry House rather than Croome. Coventry House was given up in 1848 and most of the contents were removed to Croome. The Coventry family moved out of Croome Court in 1948, although a number of fittings were left in the house, which was first let and then subsequently sold. This grate remained in the Gallery after the sale of the house replacing the more elaborate grate made to Adam's 1765 design. In the 1760s grates with fret and engraved ornament were provided for Croome designs by the Birmingham grate-maker and locksmith, Thomas Blockley (1705-89) and it is possible that he provided this particular grate.
Paktong, a name derived from the Chinese word meaning white copper, is a rare non-tarnishing alloy of copper, nickel and tin or zinc. Its unusual qualities, especially suited to such purposes as chimney-furniture, were well recognised in 18th Century Europe (A.Bonnin, Tutenag & Paktong, 1924, pp.18-51) and from about 1750, a restricted number of articles including grates are known to have been made in England from this material. It appears to have been particularly favoured by Robert Adam whose name has been linked with the designs for several grates of paktong including a pair from Battle Abbey complete with fenders and fire-irons (op. cit., pls. II-IV) sold in these Rooms, 19 November 1987, lot 60.