This oval medallioned sconce was almost certainly commissioned by Anthony Cooper, 4th Earl of Shaftesbury (d. 1771) for St. Giles's House, Dorset, and it typifies the George II 'antique' style popularised by Thomas Chippendale's Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director, 1754, and to which the Countess of Shaftesbury subscribed. Its Roman acanthus-wrapped frame, bordered by a 'French' ribbon-twist guilloche, is surmounted by the ribbon-tied mask of Ceres, the kindly harvest-goddess, and festooned with fruit-filled garlands, emblematic of Peace and Plenty. Foliated candle-branches issue from the scallop-shell badge of Venus, the Nature-goddess, which is displayed at the base.
The pier-glass furnished a drawing-room on the East Front, and was conceived en suite with a pair in the adjoining room (sold in these Rooms at the St. Giles's sale, 26 June 1980, lot 54). It is likely to have been designed under the direction of the Earl's architect Henry Flitcroft (d. 1769), who introduced related oval-framed mirrors to the state apartments at Woburn Abbey, Bedfordshire in the 1750's. These are now in the Ball-Room at Woburn and are illustrated in W. Jarrold, Woburn Abbey, Norwich, 1987. The latter were supplied by Messrs. Norman and Whittle of St. Andrew Street, Soho, and in view of the superb carving of the fruit and foliage, it is of interest to note that in 1762 Samuel Norman was appointed 'Sculptor and Carver' to King George III and 'Surveyor of the carvigs at Windsor Castle'