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Lot Essay
This wonderful early 18th century commode, an outstanding example of contre-partie marquetry design, is the work of Parisian ébéniste Nicholas Sageot (1666-1731) and typifies the style Bérain, with its elegant arabesques and foliate scrolls. For the past two centuries, it has been in the possession of the Dalrymple and Fergusson families at Newhailes House, near Edinburgh. A jewel of early Palladian architecture, the house and its furnishings are a monument to the superb taste of this highly cultured family.
THE COMMODE AT NEWHAILES HOUSE, MUSSELBURGH
This commode possibly entered the collection at Newhailes House, Musselburgh, Scotland, during the tenure of Sir David Dalrymple, 3rd Baronet, Lord Hailes (1726-92), who inherited the house in 1751. Lord Hailes, a scholar and eminent figure of the Scottish Enlightenment and a close friend of Dr Johnson, was from a dynasty of lawyers and politicians prominent in the Scottish legal system. He further developed the collection of books in the Library, originally built around 1722, for which Newhailes acquired its outstanding reputation.
This commode is possibly the one recorded in the ‘Chintz Room’ at Newhailes, near Edinburgh, in the 1790 inventory for the mansion (1), when it was described as:
‘An inlaid chest, wax cloth cover and cloth slip’.
Despite the sparing description in the inventory, which can be accounted for by the author, who was possibly a housekeeper because of her detailed knowledge of textiles and blankets, the protective covers for this chest suggest it may be the present commode.
In 1869, the commode appears in a watercolour of the library at Newhailes by Walter Severn (1830-1904), a member of the Royal Cambrian Academy. Severn was employed by Sir Charles Dalrymple, 1st Baronet of Newhailes (1839-1916), who inherited the estate in 1849, to paint some of the interiors. However, from this date to 1873, the villa was leased to Henry Coventry, and thereafter to Alexander, Baron Shand of Woodhouse until 1883. It was almost certainly the tenancy of the latter that prompted an inventory to be raised in 1873.
The commode is listed in the ‘Drawing room’ in the 1873 inventory: ‘Fine brass & inlaid chest of Drawers Key for Do. [ditto]’, and to the left of the entry ‘brass loose pieces off’. This room was, in fact, the old Library, which had been transformed into a drawing room by the addition of a suite of sofas and chairs from a drawing room in the opposite wing. During this ‘drawing-room phase’ the room became the principal reception room where the finest furniture and works of art from the collection were on display including this commode, and the late 17th century Flemish ‘Hopetoun Chest’; it was then described as the most learned drawing room in Europe (2).
In the 1914 inventory, it is in the same room and a full description identifies the Sageot commode beyond doubt: ‘Buhl & ormolu commode of three long & two short drawers, decorated all over flowers & classical figures in colours, ormolu drop handles & mounts, plate glass top’. At this date, it is valued at £150 – one of the most expensive pieces of furniture at Newhailes.
In 1917, the commode was photographed by Country Life in the Library; and again in a privately printed photograph in 1959 (3).
NEWHAILES, MUSSELBURGH, NEAR EDINBURGH
The estate, originally known as Whitehill, was acquired in 1686 by James Smith (1645-1731), described by Colen Campbell in his Vitruvius Britannicus (1717) as: ‘the most experienced architect in Scotland’ (4). He designed the original house in the Palladian manner, and Newhailes is significant for being an early exemplar of this style, later fashionable throughout Britain and Ireland. In 1709, the estate was purchased by Sir David Dalrymple, 1st Baronet of Hailes (circa 1665-1721) for the sum of 40,000 merks (£27,000 – approximately £2.5 million in 2004), who renamed the estate ‘New Hailes’. During the long ownership of the Dalrymple family, the house has not been fundamentally altered from Smith’s original building. Although some improvements have been made to the interiors, these are largely intact and represent one of the best-preserved interiors of the early 18th century. When the National Trust of Scotland (NTS) acquired the house in 1997 their remit was to stabilise the condition of the buildings, and at the same time maintain the spirit of the house.
SAGEOT’S DESIGN
The richly ornamented style of this magnificent commode derives from the work of the celebrated ébéniste du roi André-Charles Boulle (1642-1732), who popularised the virtuoso practice of inlaying ebony-veneered case furniture with brass, tortoiseshell and stained horn at the court of Louis XIV. Although Boulle gave his name to this technique, it was practised by several other Parisian cabinetmakers at the start of the 18th Century, including Aubertin Gaudron (d. 1713), Noël Gérard (1685-1736) and Nicholas Sageot.
Sageot had a thriving workshop on the rue du faubourg Saint-Antoine by 1698 and became a master in 1706. Documentary evidence indicates that he also operated as a marchand mercier. As with the present commode, his pieces are often stamped, a rarity at this date, as it did not become obligatory for cabinetmakers to do so until 1751. A very similar commode in première-partie formerly in the collection of the Dukes of Newcastle, Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire (sold Christie's, London, 16 December 1999, lot 50, £287,500) also bears Sageot’s stamp, which later allowed a commode formerly in the Thyssen collection to be further attributed to this master (sold Christie's, London, 14 December 2000, lot 320, £168,750).
The superb design of the present commode, with its intricate filigree arabesques, abundance of polychrome flowers, and playful mask motifs is inspired by the work of Jean Bérain (1640-1711). Of exceptional quality, the top depicts the figure of Pallas-Athena, seated on a lambrequined plinth beneath a garlanded baldacchino. She is attended by two putti, possibly Eros and Anteros, who proffer a palm of victory and two flaming torches to the goddess. Flanking the central motif are two huntresses, each attended by a putto and a dog. Two further huntresses, each with a hawk and a hound top the architrave above the figure of Athena.
It is likely that this scene is symbolic of ‘Love’s triumph’, the flames of love being conquered by the wise and chaste goddess Athena. This theme played an important role in Bérain’s œuvre; in 1681 in his official role as Dessinateur de la Chambre et du Cabinet du Roi he created the costumes and set designs for the ballet Le Triomphe de l’Amour, performed by members of the court to celebrate the marriage of the dauphin and Marie-Anne-Christine-Victoire of Bavaria (1660-1690), which had taken place the previous year. Bérain’s interest in theatrical design can be seen in the composition of many of his designs, the present top being no exception; with its wonderfully bold layout and delightfully colourful figures, it is as visually arresting as any theatrical performance.
Given the similarity between this design, the top of the Thyssen commode and a third commode sold Sotheby’s, Monaco, 24 June 1984, it is likely that Sageot owned a specific Bérain cartoon or engraving of the subject (4). This was probably lost after Sageot’s mental health began to decline in 1725. However, the folio of engravings after designs by Bérain, published following his death in 1711, contains several variations on the central victorious figure and her attendants, providing us with an idea of the perennially popular material Sageot was using.
(1) The inventories for Newhailes held by the National Trust of Scotland, Edinburgh.
(2) V. Horrocks, Newhailes, Edinburgh, 2004, p. 6.
(3) L. Weaver, ‘Newhailes, Midlothian, the seat of Lt. Com. Sir David Dalrymple, Bt., R.N.’, Country Life, 8 September 1917, p. 230; RCAHMS.
(4) As posited by J.N. Ronfort, André Charels Boulle 1642-1732: A New Style for Europe, Paris, 2009, p. 98.
THE COMMODE AT NEWHAILES HOUSE, MUSSELBURGH
This commode possibly entered the collection at Newhailes House, Musselburgh, Scotland, during the tenure of Sir David Dalrymple, 3rd Baronet, Lord Hailes (1726-92), who inherited the house in 1751. Lord Hailes, a scholar and eminent figure of the Scottish Enlightenment and a close friend of Dr Johnson, was from a dynasty of lawyers and politicians prominent in the Scottish legal system. He further developed the collection of books in the Library, originally built around 1722, for which Newhailes acquired its outstanding reputation.
This commode is possibly the one recorded in the ‘Chintz Room’ at Newhailes, near Edinburgh, in the 1790 inventory for the mansion (1), when it was described as:
‘An inlaid chest, wax cloth cover and cloth slip’.
Despite the sparing description in the inventory, which can be accounted for by the author, who was possibly a housekeeper because of her detailed knowledge of textiles and blankets, the protective covers for this chest suggest it may be the present commode.
In 1869, the commode appears in a watercolour of the library at Newhailes by Walter Severn (1830-1904), a member of the Royal Cambrian Academy. Severn was employed by Sir Charles Dalrymple, 1st Baronet of Newhailes (1839-1916), who inherited the estate in 1849, to paint some of the interiors. However, from this date to 1873, the villa was leased to Henry Coventry, and thereafter to Alexander, Baron Shand of Woodhouse until 1883. It was almost certainly the tenancy of the latter that prompted an inventory to be raised in 1873.
The commode is listed in the ‘Drawing room’ in the 1873 inventory: ‘Fine brass & inlaid chest of Drawers Key for Do. [ditto]’, and to the left of the entry ‘brass loose pieces off’. This room was, in fact, the old Library, which had been transformed into a drawing room by the addition of a suite of sofas and chairs from a drawing room in the opposite wing. During this ‘drawing-room phase’ the room became the principal reception room where the finest furniture and works of art from the collection were on display including this commode, and the late 17th century Flemish ‘Hopetoun Chest’; it was then described as the most learned drawing room in Europe (2).
In the 1914 inventory, it is in the same room and a full description identifies the Sageot commode beyond doubt: ‘Buhl & ormolu commode of three long & two short drawers, decorated all over flowers & classical figures in colours, ormolu drop handles & mounts, plate glass top’. At this date, it is valued at £150 – one of the most expensive pieces of furniture at Newhailes.
In 1917, the commode was photographed by Country Life in the Library; and again in a privately printed photograph in 1959 (3).
NEWHAILES, MUSSELBURGH, NEAR EDINBURGH
The estate, originally known as Whitehill, was acquired in 1686 by James Smith (1645-1731), described by Colen Campbell in his Vitruvius Britannicus (1717) as: ‘the most experienced architect in Scotland’ (4). He designed the original house in the Palladian manner, and Newhailes is significant for being an early exemplar of this style, later fashionable throughout Britain and Ireland. In 1709, the estate was purchased by Sir David Dalrymple, 1st Baronet of Hailes (circa 1665-1721) for the sum of 40,000 merks (£27,000 – approximately £2.5 million in 2004), who renamed the estate ‘New Hailes’. During the long ownership of the Dalrymple family, the house has not been fundamentally altered from Smith’s original building. Although some improvements have been made to the interiors, these are largely intact and represent one of the best-preserved interiors of the early 18th century. When the National Trust of Scotland (NTS) acquired the house in 1997 their remit was to stabilise the condition of the buildings, and at the same time maintain the spirit of the house.
SAGEOT’S DESIGN
The richly ornamented style of this magnificent commode derives from the work of the celebrated ébéniste du roi André-Charles Boulle (1642-1732), who popularised the virtuoso practice of inlaying ebony-veneered case furniture with brass, tortoiseshell and stained horn at the court of Louis XIV. Although Boulle gave his name to this technique, it was practised by several other Parisian cabinetmakers at the start of the 18th Century, including Aubertin Gaudron (d. 1713), Noël Gérard (1685-1736) and Nicholas Sageot.
Sageot had a thriving workshop on the rue du faubourg Saint-Antoine by 1698 and became a master in 1706. Documentary evidence indicates that he also operated as a marchand mercier. As with the present commode, his pieces are often stamped, a rarity at this date, as it did not become obligatory for cabinetmakers to do so until 1751. A very similar commode in première-partie formerly in the collection of the Dukes of Newcastle, Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire (sold Christie's, London, 16 December 1999, lot 50, £287,500) also bears Sageot’s stamp, which later allowed a commode formerly in the Thyssen collection to be further attributed to this master (sold Christie's, London, 14 December 2000, lot 320, £168,750).
The superb design of the present commode, with its intricate filigree arabesques, abundance of polychrome flowers, and playful mask motifs is inspired by the work of Jean Bérain (1640-1711). Of exceptional quality, the top depicts the figure of Pallas-Athena, seated on a lambrequined plinth beneath a garlanded baldacchino. She is attended by two putti, possibly Eros and Anteros, who proffer a palm of victory and two flaming torches to the goddess. Flanking the central motif are two huntresses, each attended by a putto and a dog. Two further huntresses, each with a hawk and a hound top the architrave above the figure of Athena.
It is likely that this scene is symbolic of ‘Love’s triumph’, the flames of love being conquered by the wise and chaste goddess Athena. This theme played an important role in Bérain’s œuvre; in 1681 in his official role as Dessinateur de la Chambre et du Cabinet du Roi he created the costumes and set designs for the ballet Le Triomphe de l’Amour, performed by members of the court to celebrate the marriage of the dauphin and Marie-Anne-Christine-Victoire of Bavaria (1660-1690), which had taken place the previous year. Bérain’s interest in theatrical design can be seen in the composition of many of his designs, the present top being no exception; with its wonderfully bold layout and delightfully colourful figures, it is as visually arresting as any theatrical performance.
Given the similarity between this design, the top of the Thyssen commode and a third commode sold Sotheby’s, Monaco, 24 June 1984, it is likely that Sageot owned a specific Bérain cartoon or engraving of the subject (4). This was probably lost after Sageot’s mental health began to decline in 1725. However, the folio of engravings after designs by Bérain, published following his death in 1711, contains several variations on the central victorious figure and her attendants, providing us with an idea of the perennially popular material Sageot was using.
(1) The inventories for Newhailes held by the National Trust of Scotland, Edinburgh.
(2) V. Horrocks, Newhailes, Edinburgh, 2004, p. 6.
(3) L. Weaver, ‘Newhailes, Midlothian, the seat of Lt. Com. Sir David Dalrymple, Bt., R.N.’, Country Life, 8 September 1917, p. 230; RCAHMS.
(4) As posited by J.N. Ronfort, André Charels Boulle 1642-1732: A New Style for Europe, Paris, 2009, p. 98.