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Lot Essay
THE TABLES
This pair of tables are from a set of six, two of which were sold anonymously, Christie's, London, 9 April 1987, lot 88. One of the present pair depicts Rome's Campo-Vaccino and the Temple of Jupiter. The other is decorated in the Pompeian manner and includes a medallion with Cupids sacrificing at an altar, while crowing a portrait of a Sibyl. The medallion derives from an engraving of the celebrated painting of Beatrice Cenci (d. 1599) in the Palazzo Barbarini. One of the tables sold in 1987 featured a view of the Colosseum flanked by views of the Tivoli Gardens and the other depicted the Eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The remaining pair has a view of St. Peter's Piazza, Rome on one and a scene from the Trojan Wars on the other, both framed by Roman capriccio views.
It is possible that the tops were painted by Thomas Riley, a pupil of Sir Joshua Reynolds, who was employed in the mid-1770s by Lady Louisa Conolly at Castletown to decorate the Gallery. Another possible artist is Stickland Lowry who is known to have painted doors 'in ornaments of landscapes' (A. Crookshank & The Knight of Glin, Ireland's Painters 1600-1940, New Haven & London, 2002, p. 169). The friezes on the tables correspond to a pattern by Johann Tischbein, Director of the Royal Academy of Paintings in Naples and author of A Collection of Engravings from Ancient Vases Discovered in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies between 1789-1790, Naples, 1793-1803. In 1796, Tischbein's 'Etruscan' prints and borders, copied from Hamilton's vases and adapted to small rooms, was noted by the architect, Charles Heathcote Tatham (d. 1842). Such prints were later purchased in Naples in 1829 by Peter Langford-Brooke (sold from Mere Hall, Cheshire, Christie's house sale, 23 May 1994, lots 202-203).
THE PATRON: THE EARL-BISHOP
These tables were commissioned by the connoisseur, Frederick Augustus Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol and Bishop of Derry, famed traveller and builder of the Pantheonic villa, Ickworth, Suffolk (begun circa 1794). The Earl-Bishop, as he was known, was a prolific builder who embellished the grounds around Downhill with classical temples and monuments. Voltaire said of him: 'As brilliant as Lord Chesterfield, but more firmly based'.
DOWNHILL, CO. DERRY
Perched dramatically near the edge of a cliff on the Derry coast, Downhill was begun by the Earl-Bishop in the mid-1770s. It is likely that the Bishop played a considerable role in the design of the house, the building of which was supervised by Michael Shanahan. The Italian architect, Placido Columbani, stayed for two years in the early 1780s and may have had charge of the interior decoration. Sir John Soane also provided designs for a 'Summer Dining Room' although these were never executed. The Mussenden Temple, named after the Earl-Bishop's cousin, was built on a direct axis from the house, right on the cliff top, commanding dramatic views of the coastline and housing some of his extensive library.
This pair of tables are from a set of six, two of which were sold anonymously, Christie's, London, 9 April 1987, lot 88. One of the present pair depicts Rome's Campo-Vaccino and the Temple of Jupiter. The other is decorated in the Pompeian manner and includes a medallion with Cupids sacrificing at an altar, while crowing a portrait of a Sibyl. The medallion derives from an engraving of the celebrated painting of Beatrice Cenci (d. 1599) in the Palazzo Barbarini. One of the tables sold in 1987 featured a view of the Colosseum flanked by views of the Tivoli Gardens and the other depicted the Eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The remaining pair has a view of St. Peter's Piazza, Rome on one and a scene from the Trojan Wars on the other, both framed by Roman capriccio views.
It is possible that the tops were painted by Thomas Riley, a pupil of Sir Joshua Reynolds, who was employed in the mid-1770s by Lady Louisa Conolly at Castletown to decorate the Gallery. Another possible artist is Stickland Lowry who is known to have painted doors 'in ornaments of landscapes' (A. Crookshank & The Knight of Glin, Ireland's Painters 1600-1940, New Haven & London, 2002, p. 169). The friezes on the tables correspond to a pattern by Johann Tischbein, Director of the Royal Academy of Paintings in Naples and author of A Collection of Engravings from Ancient Vases Discovered in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies between 1789-1790, Naples, 1793-1803. In 1796, Tischbein's 'Etruscan' prints and borders, copied from Hamilton's vases and adapted to small rooms, was noted by the architect, Charles Heathcote Tatham (d. 1842). Such prints were later purchased in Naples in 1829 by Peter Langford-Brooke (sold from Mere Hall, Cheshire, Christie's house sale, 23 May 1994, lots 202-203).
THE PATRON: THE EARL-BISHOP
These tables were commissioned by the connoisseur, Frederick Augustus Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol and Bishop of Derry, famed traveller and builder of the Pantheonic villa, Ickworth, Suffolk (begun circa 1794). The Earl-Bishop, as he was known, was a prolific builder who embellished the grounds around Downhill with classical temples and monuments. Voltaire said of him: 'As brilliant as Lord Chesterfield, but more firmly based'.
DOWNHILL, CO. DERRY
Perched dramatically near the edge of a cliff on the Derry coast, Downhill was begun by the Earl-Bishop in the mid-1770s. It is likely that the Bishop played a considerable role in the design of the house, the building of which was supervised by Michael Shanahan. The Italian architect, Placido Columbani, stayed for two years in the early 1780s and may have had charge of the interior decoration. Sir John Soane also provided designs for a 'Summer Dining Room' although these were never executed. The Mussenden Temple, named after the Earl-Bishop's cousin, was built on a direct axis from the house, right on the cliff top, commanding dramatic views of the coastline and housing some of his extensive library.