Lot Essay
This pier glass and table (lot 115) are designed in the George IV manner of the 1820s, the pier glass showing influence from French designs of the period. The table is given an Irish twist with the hoofed legs decorated with shamrocks, which became a national device after the visit of George IV in 1821. They are both made by James Del Vecchio, Junior, whose label appears on the reverse of each. Del Vecchio came from a large family of craftsmen, which hailed originally from Maltrasio in Italy (D. FitzGerald, 'The Dublin Del Vecchios', The Magazine Antiques, October 1981, pp. 910-914 and M. C. Van Cott, 'The Del Vecchios of New York, Furniture History, vol. XXV, 1989, pp. 221-227). Together with his father, also called James, they worked as carvers, gilders, looking glass sellers and composition ornament manufacturers with premises in South Great George's Street, Westmorland Street and finally Brunswick Street, Dublin. Their label aptly sums up their practice which included picture framing, cleaning pictures, putting up plaster ornaments on ceilings and the cleaning and repairing of broken china.