A LATE GEORGE III PAINTED PAPIER MÂCHÉ TRAY

BY HENRY CLAY, CIRCA 1800

Details

A LATE GEORGE III PAINTED PAPIER MÂCHÉ TRAY
By Henry Clay, circa 1800
Of oval form, the center decorated with the coat-of-arms of the Bucket family impaled by a coat-of arms of continental origin (unidentified) with a ribbon-tied drapery surround flanked by putti, the raised edge decorated to the inside with ivy leaves, oak leaves and acorns and reserves depicting exotic birds, squirrels and ducal crowns, the outer edge with a Greek-key patterned border, the underside stamped CLAY and with a crown, also bearing a label inscribed 49, the tray warped
31½in. (80cm.) wide, 23in. (58cm.) deep

Provenance

The Bucket Family

Lot Essay

Henry Clay was renowned for his japanning and papier mâché business which he conducted out of Birmingham and then London from 1772 until his death in 1812. In 1772, he received a patent for a special process of pasting sheets of paper together and stove hardening them to producea durable substance suitable for furniture wares. This process was distinct from that for making true mache, which used a mixture of pulped paper, glue and chalk and originated in Persia, coming to England via France in the seventeenth century. He decorated his products in the Etruscan (Classical) or Chinese taste. The patent expired in 1802 at which time rival factories began production and continued to use the Clay name throughout the nineteenth century. The 1851 Great Exhibition catalogue noted that the Clay method was superior to the traditional pulp technique or papier mâché production (G. Beard and C. Gilbert, eds., Dictionary of English Furniture Makers, 1660-1840, 1986, pp.176-177; E. Joy, English Furniture 1800-1851, 1977, pp.271-272).

More from Important English Furniture

View All