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Lot Essay
The tapering pilasters and idiosyncratic feet of these fine rosewood and parcel-gilt cabinets are related to a pair of rosewood chiffoniers and a commode en suite, designed by Henry Holland (d. 1806) for Mrs. (later Lady Elizabeth) Whitbread’s room at Southill, Bedfordshire (F.J.B. Watson, 'The Furniture and Decoration', Southill, London, 1951, figs. 35-36). The interiors and furniture of this room, and adjoining boudoir, show Holland’s style 'at its most French and most refined’, and are the most complete extant example of Holland’s flair. The furniture at Southill was almost certainly commissioned from Marsh & Tatham by Samuel Whitbread II, Lady Elizabeth’s husband, under the directorship of Holland, during the refurbishment of the house between 1796 and 1802. Marsh & Tatham were part of a group of craftsmen who worked with Holland and marchand-mercier Dominique Daguerre at Southill as well as for the Prince of Wales at Carlton House (Ed. G. Beard, C. Gilbert, The Dictionary of English Furniture Makers 1660-1840, Leeds, 1986, pp. 623-624).
Another closely related cabinet but with brass grille doors was almost certainly supplied by the same firm to George Osborne, 6th Duke of Leeds, for Hornby Castle, Yorkshire; it was sold by a direct descendent Christie’s, London, 13 November 2014, lot 198 (£60,000 including premium). The Hornby Castle and Southill furniture all featured white marble tops.
Another closely related cabinet but with brass grille doors was almost certainly supplied by the same firm to George Osborne, 6th Duke of Leeds, for Hornby Castle, Yorkshire; it was sold by a direct descendent Christie’s, London, 13 November 2014, lot 198 (£60,000 including premium). The Hornby Castle and Southill furniture all featured white marble tops.