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Lot Essay
THE SCAGLIOLA TOP – ATTRIBUTED TO PIETRO ANTONIO PAOLINI
The beautifully 'marbled’ and engraved top can be confidently attributed to the Tuscan scaliolist Pietro Antonio Paolini by comparison with a group of closely related examples. Foremost among these are the Treby tables, a pair of George I gilt-gesso tables with scagliola tops, one of which is centred, like the present example, with an oval depicting David and the decapitated figure of Goliath and which, significantly, bears the inscription 'Petrus Antonius de Paulinus fecit’. Although neither is dated, these scagliola tops and their supporting bases were probably commissioned by George Treby II. M.P. (d.1742) of Plympton House, Devon soon after his marriage in 1724. The Treby tables were sold anonymously Christie’s, London, 28 November 2002, lot 150 (£358,650 including premium).
Another table top featuring a trompe l’oeil scene of musical and architectural manuscripts centred by a violin bears both the signature of Paulini and the date 1732. It is dedicated to the Grand Duke of Tuscany and was formerly in the Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, (Anna Maria Massinelli, Il Mobile Toscana, Milan, 1993, p. 81, fig. 141).
The depiction of David and Goliath was repeated in two further slabs. One, signed by Paulini and dated 1737, was sold anonymously Phillips, London, 23 April 1996, lot 206 (£18,400 including premium), the second, unsigned, was sold anonymously Christie’s, New York, 19 April 2004, lot 251 ($59,250 including premium).
Another example depicts a satyr offering pearls to a reclining female figure surrounded by cherubs (The Janssen Collection, sold Sotheby’s, London, 10 December 2003, lot 56 [£31,200 including premium]).
An unusual feature of the present top is the use of amber in combination with scagliola, here featured in the inner strapwork band and some of the foliage. Other examples incorporating amber include a top made in 1726 for Ditchley Park and featuring the Earl of Lichfield's arms, now at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and another sold Sotheby's, London, 3 July 2013, lot 16 (£182,500 including premium), both of which share features described above. It is possible that this use of amber is a unique feature of Paolini's work.
The present lot displays many features common to those described above, with the exception of the Uffizi trompe l’oeil example. The central medallion clearly accords with the Treby tables and the signed example sold at Phillips, and their layout broadly follows the pattern of a large central monochrome medallion flanked by two or four smaller cartouches depicting vignettes of classical ruins, maritime scenes or duelling riders, with the majority of the surface filled with vibrantly colourful foliage, flowers and fruit, and strapwork that provides perches for birds. The lot offered here differs, not only by virtue of its serpentine shape, probably designed for a superb Tuscan side table, but also it does not feature these vignettes, rather the strapwork and foliage is formed around a pair of beautifully drawn parrots on a scale far greater than any counterparts.
THE COMMODE - ATTRIBUTED TO MAYHEW & INCE
Certain features of this commode are characteristic of a type originated by John Cobb in the celebrated marquetry commode at Corsham Court, which he supplied to Lord Methuen in 1772. Thereafter Cobb produced numerous examples that follow the same formula: a serpentine or bombé form with folding doors veneered sans traverse, hinged at top and bottom so as to incorporate the front angles and meet the carcase at the sides, and likewise incorporating the lobed front apron (which would otherwise form part of the carcase). Thus he presents an uninterrupted façade, from which all signs of construction are concealed, in the French manner (L. Wood, The Lady Lever Art Gallery: Catalogue of Commodes, 1994, cat. no. 7 and Figs 75 – 91). The construction of the doors and of the panelled backboard is also paralleled in the Corsham Court commode and in at least one other well-known example, with the arms of Lord Hyde (later Earl of Clarendon), now in the Lady Lever Art Gallery (op. cit., cat. no. 7 and figs 78–79).
However, closer stylistic comparisons can be found in the accredited work of Mayhew & Ince, who appear to have imitated – not to say plagiarized – Cobb’s distinctive commode form and French-style façade. Examples include a commode from Blenheim Palace, where Mayhew & Ince were the principal cabinet-makers patronized by the 4th Duke of Marlborough (H. Roberts, ‘Nicely fitted up: furniture for the 4th Duke of Marlborough’, Furniture History, Vol. 30 (1994), 117–49 (p. 137 & n. 123), fig. 30) and another from the collection of the 4th Baron Wrottesley (sold Sotheby’s, 28 June 1968, lot 163). Both these commodes feature laurel swags draped illusionistically over cross-banded ‘frames’, a device found in much of Mayhew & Ince’s output; while the mouldings around the tops – ebonized wood on the Marlborough commode, gadrooned ormolu on the Wrottesley piece – are likewise more typical of their workshop than of Cobb’s. A third example, with the same gadrooned ormolu moulding, is veneered on the front and sides in yew-wood, quartered on each face (R. W. Symonds, Furniture Making in 17th and 18th Century England, 1995, p. 112, fig. 166). This demonstrative use of yew was virtually unique to Mayhew & Ince’s repertoire (C. Cator, ‘The Earl of Kerry and Mayhew and Ince: “The Idlest Ostentation”, Furniture History, Vol. 26 (1990), pp. 27–33, figs 1–2). In constructional terms, the liberal use of screws on the present commode – for instance securing the top and the backboard – is very symptomatic of this workshop’s practice (Wood, op. cit., p. 225).
The bronze angle mount of a laurel festoon suspended from a scallop shell recurs frequently in this firm’s accredited furniture, for instance on two other commodes with folding doors (a serpentine example at Bonham’s, 7 March 2012, lot 118, and one of rectangular form at Sotheby’s, 18 November 1994, lot 104). The interplay between this mount and the not-quite-identical marquetry drops that flank it reminds us of other motifs that Mayhew & Ince executed in different media, though not usually on the same object (Wood, op. cit., pp. 202, 216). Other characteristic ornaments (but not entirely unique to this firm) include the marquetry foliate clasps at the corners of the façade and the central wreath suspended from ribbon drapery (notably in the Wrottesley commode noted above). The asymmetric marquetry surrounds to the front and sides are paralleled in a yew-veneered commode from Aston Clinton (bought by Lord Leverhulme and last sold at Christie’s from the collection of Sir Michael Sobell, 23 June 1994, lot 77). The present commode also resembles the Aston Clinton piece in its broad outlines, although its particular profile – including the boldly shaped front angles – was of course determined by the shape of the scagliola top.
The Baroque scagliola top is much the most remarkable aspect of this commode. While this must undoubtedly have been supplied by the owner for the makers to ‘frame’, the challenge would certainly have appealed to Mayhew & Ince, in light of their experience of re-deploying old marquetry for Burghley (Helena Hayward and Eric Till, ‘A furniture discovery at Burghely’, Country Life, 7 June 1973; Wood, op. cit., pp. 200–01, figs 189–92) and perhaps for Warwick Castle (a cabinet sold at Christie’s, 30 May 1968, lot 85, now at the Bowes Museum). Perhaps, conversely, their established reputation for antiquarian marriages of this sort encouraged the unidentified patron to give Mayhew & Ince this most distinguished commission.
THE PROVENANCE
The 18th and 19th century history of the commode is uncertain and the handwritten label is confusing. There is no such address as Clarence Square in Exeter, though the Clarence Hotel is a well-known local landmark in Cathedral Yard, and a Clarence Place also exists. A tantalizing connection can be made with the Treby tables through the Clarence Hotel. The latter was built in 1769 as the Exeter Assembly Rooms by William Mackwith-Praed, of the prominent West-country banking dynasty, while the Treby tables descended in the family to Anne Frances Hays who, in 1831, married another William Mackworth-Praed. However there is no evidence of a connection between the Treby and Praed families in the 18th century when the scagliola top and the frame must have been united. Meanwhile in 1914/15, Clarence Place, Exeter, was occupied by an unnamed tenant.
In 1915 the commode was acquired by D.L. Isaacs of Oxford Street, London. Isaacs was Viscount Leverhulme’s dealer of choice, and he sourced many of the objects that formed the core of the extraordinary Leverhulme collection of decorative art from around 1897 until Lever’s death in 1925. Isaacs sold the commode to Lever on 28 December 1915 for £250. The cataloguing from Lever’s inventory states misguidedly that the commode had 'black slate top, painted and partly inlaid with coloured marbles in designs attributed to the Dublin master Bossi …. yellow oval panel in centre …. David slaying Goliath’, but does confirm that it came 'from a house in Clarence Square, Exeter’ (see L. Wood, Catalogue of Commodes, London, 1994, p. 329).
We are grateful to Lucy Wood for her help in preparing this note.
The beautifully 'marbled’ and engraved top can be confidently attributed to the Tuscan scaliolist Pietro Antonio Paolini by comparison with a group of closely related examples. Foremost among these are the Treby tables, a pair of George I gilt-gesso tables with scagliola tops, one of which is centred, like the present example, with an oval depicting David and the decapitated figure of Goliath and which, significantly, bears the inscription 'Petrus Antonius de Paulinus fecit’. Although neither is dated, these scagliola tops and their supporting bases were probably commissioned by George Treby II. M.P. (d.1742) of Plympton House, Devon soon after his marriage in 1724. The Treby tables were sold anonymously Christie’s, London, 28 November 2002, lot 150 (£358,650 including premium).
Another table top featuring a trompe l’oeil scene of musical and architectural manuscripts centred by a violin bears both the signature of Paulini and the date 1732. It is dedicated to the Grand Duke of Tuscany and was formerly in the Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, (Anna Maria Massinelli, Il Mobile Toscana, Milan, 1993, p. 81, fig. 141).
The depiction of David and Goliath was repeated in two further slabs. One, signed by Paulini and dated 1737, was sold anonymously Phillips, London, 23 April 1996, lot 206 (£18,400 including premium), the second, unsigned, was sold anonymously Christie’s, New York, 19 April 2004, lot 251 ($59,250 including premium).
Another example depicts a satyr offering pearls to a reclining female figure surrounded by cherubs (The Janssen Collection, sold Sotheby’s, London, 10 December 2003, lot 56 [£31,200 including premium]).
An unusual feature of the present top is the use of amber in combination with scagliola, here featured in the inner strapwork band and some of the foliage. Other examples incorporating amber include a top made in 1726 for Ditchley Park and featuring the Earl of Lichfield's arms, now at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and another sold Sotheby's, London, 3 July 2013, lot 16 (£182,500 including premium), both of which share features described above. It is possible that this use of amber is a unique feature of Paolini's work.
The present lot displays many features common to those described above, with the exception of the Uffizi trompe l’oeil example. The central medallion clearly accords with the Treby tables and the signed example sold at Phillips, and their layout broadly follows the pattern of a large central monochrome medallion flanked by two or four smaller cartouches depicting vignettes of classical ruins, maritime scenes or duelling riders, with the majority of the surface filled with vibrantly colourful foliage, flowers and fruit, and strapwork that provides perches for birds. The lot offered here differs, not only by virtue of its serpentine shape, probably designed for a superb Tuscan side table, but also it does not feature these vignettes, rather the strapwork and foliage is formed around a pair of beautifully drawn parrots on a scale far greater than any counterparts.
THE COMMODE - ATTRIBUTED TO MAYHEW & INCE
Certain features of this commode are characteristic of a type originated by John Cobb in the celebrated marquetry commode at Corsham Court, which he supplied to Lord Methuen in 1772. Thereafter Cobb produced numerous examples that follow the same formula: a serpentine or bombé form with folding doors veneered sans traverse, hinged at top and bottom so as to incorporate the front angles and meet the carcase at the sides, and likewise incorporating the lobed front apron (which would otherwise form part of the carcase). Thus he presents an uninterrupted façade, from which all signs of construction are concealed, in the French manner (L. Wood, The Lady Lever Art Gallery: Catalogue of Commodes, 1994, cat. no. 7 and Figs 75 – 91). The construction of the doors and of the panelled backboard is also paralleled in the Corsham Court commode and in at least one other well-known example, with the arms of Lord Hyde (later Earl of Clarendon), now in the Lady Lever Art Gallery (op. cit., cat. no. 7 and figs 78–79).
However, closer stylistic comparisons can be found in the accredited work of Mayhew & Ince, who appear to have imitated – not to say plagiarized – Cobb’s distinctive commode form and French-style façade. Examples include a commode from Blenheim Palace, where Mayhew & Ince were the principal cabinet-makers patronized by the 4th Duke of Marlborough (H. Roberts, ‘Nicely fitted up: furniture for the 4th Duke of Marlborough’, Furniture History, Vol. 30 (1994), 117–49 (p. 137 & n. 123), fig. 30) and another from the collection of the 4th Baron Wrottesley (sold Sotheby’s, 28 June 1968, lot 163). Both these commodes feature laurel swags draped illusionistically over cross-banded ‘frames’, a device found in much of Mayhew & Ince’s output; while the mouldings around the tops – ebonized wood on the Marlborough commode, gadrooned ormolu on the Wrottesley piece – are likewise more typical of their workshop than of Cobb’s. A third example, with the same gadrooned ormolu moulding, is veneered on the front and sides in yew-wood, quartered on each face (R. W. Symonds, Furniture Making in 17th and 18th Century England, 1995, p. 112, fig. 166). This demonstrative use of yew was virtually unique to Mayhew & Ince’s repertoire (C. Cator, ‘The Earl of Kerry and Mayhew and Ince: “The Idlest Ostentation”, Furniture History, Vol. 26 (1990), pp. 27–33, figs 1–2). In constructional terms, the liberal use of screws on the present commode – for instance securing the top and the backboard – is very symptomatic of this workshop’s practice (Wood, op. cit., p. 225).
The bronze angle mount of a laurel festoon suspended from a scallop shell recurs frequently in this firm’s accredited furniture, for instance on two other commodes with folding doors (a serpentine example at Bonham’s, 7 March 2012, lot 118, and one of rectangular form at Sotheby’s, 18 November 1994, lot 104). The interplay between this mount and the not-quite-identical marquetry drops that flank it reminds us of other motifs that Mayhew & Ince executed in different media, though not usually on the same object (Wood, op. cit., pp. 202, 216). Other characteristic ornaments (but not entirely unique to this firm) include the marquetry foliate clasps at the corners of the façade and the central wreath suspended from ribbon drapery (notably in the Wrottesley commode noted above). The asymmetric marquetry surrounds to the front and sides are paralleled in a yew-veneered commode from Aston Clinton (bought by Lord Leverhulme and last sold at Christie’s from the collection of Sir Michael Sobell, 23 June 1994, lot 77). The present commode also resembles the Aston Clinton piece in its broad outlines, although its particular profile – including the boldly shaped front angles – was of course determined by the shape of the scagliola top.
The Baroque scagliola top is much the most remarkable aspect of this commode. While this must undoubtedly have been supplied by the owner for the makers to ‘frame’, the challenge would certainly have appealed to Mayhew & Ince, in light of their experience of re-deploying old marquetry for Burghley (Helena Hayward and Eric Till, ‘A furniture discovery at Burghely’, Country Life, 7 June 1973; Wood, op. cit., pp. 200–01, figs 189–92) and perhaps for Warwick Castle (a cabinet sold at Christie’s, 30 May 1968, lot 85, now at the Bowes Museum). Perhaps, conversely, their established reputation for antiquarian marriages of this sort encouraged the unidentified patron to give Mayhew & Ince this most distinguished commission.
THE PROVENANCE
The 18th and 19th century history of the commode is uncertain and the handwritten label is confusing. There is no such address as Clarence Square in Exeter, though the Clarence Hotel is a well-known local landmark in Cathedral Yard, and a Clarence Place also exists. A tantalizing connection can be made with the Treby tables through the Clarence Hotel. The latter was built in 1769 as the Exeter Assembly Rooms by William Mackwith-Praed, of the prominent West-country banking dynasty, while the Treby tables descended in the family to Anne Frances Hays who, in 1831, married another William Mackworth-Praed. However there is no evidence of a connection between the Treby and Praed families in the 18th century when the scagliola top and the frame must have been united. Meanwhile in 1914/15, Clarence Place, Exeter, was occupied by an unnamed tenant.
In 1915 the commode was acquired by D.L. Isaacs of Oxford Street, London. Isaacs was Viscount Leverhulme’s dealer of choice, and he sourced many of the objects that formed the core of the extraordinary Leverhulme collection of decorative art from around 1897 until Lever’s death in 1925. Isaacs sold the commode to Lever on 28 December 1915 for £250. The cataloguing from Lever’s inventory states misguidedly that the commode had 'black slate top, painted and partly inlaid with coloured marbles in designs attributed to the Dublin master Bossi …. yellow oval panel in centre …. David slaying Goliath’, but does confirm that it came 'from a house in Clarence Square, Exeter’ (see L. Wood, Catalogue of Commodes, London, 1994, p. 329).
We are grateful to Lucy Wood for her help in preparing this note.