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Lot Essay
THE COMMISSION
The cypher of interlaced C’s resembling a marquess’s coronet on the doors of the cabinet is possibly that of James Brydges, Marquess of Carnarvon, who succeeded as the 3rd Duke of Chandos in 1771. Two of the glass panels on the cabinet appear to have been incised with the name ‘Carnarvon’ further supporting this provenance.
James Brydges was born in 1731, the only son of the 2nd Duke. He married Margaret Nichol, the daughter and heir to John Nichol of London on 22 March 1753 in St. George’s, Hanover Square. She brought him a fortune of £150,000 (The Complete Peerage). Described by George II as ‘a hot-headed, passionate, half-witted coxcomb,’ he served as Lord of the Bedchamber to George III from his accession in 1760 until 1764. It seems likely that he ordered the present bookcase sometime after his wedding for his London residence, Chandos House, in Cavendish Square because Cannons, the family’s country property, had been sold upon the death of his grandfather in 1744. Chandos House was built in the Palladian style in the 1720s by James Wood the Elder (d.1754). Robert Adam later redesigned the house in the neoclassical style for the Duke after his succession in the 1770s.
THE ATTRIBUTION
The cabinet itself is a superior example of mid-18th century exuberance, displaying a coalescence of Chinese influence, French rococo detailing, and Palladian form. It appears to be an adaptation of published patterns such as those seen in plate XXI from Ince & Mayhew's Universal System of Household Furniture, and a number of designs for fretwork and china cabinets in Chippendale's Director. This, along with its elaborate carving are characteristics associated with the work of Wright and Elwick, cabinet-makers from Wakefield, Yorkshire. The quatrefoil panels flanking each outer corner of the fretwork cornice are a common stylistic trait seen on many pieces of furniture by the firm, and appear to be a distinguishing feature of their work. The use of bells and the obvious Chinoiserie ornament recurs in many Wright and Elwick pieces, as do the foliate handles mounted on this cabinet.
Although relatively little is known about their partnership, Richard Wright and Edward Elwick are recorded as supplying furniture to Charles, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham for Wentworth Woodhouse, with a particular emphasis on pieces with fret-carving in the Chinese taste as on this bookcase, much of which was dispersed in two sales held by Christie's in July 1948 and again fifty years later in July 1998. It is conceivable then that this cabinet was a special commission, perhaps for an important London patron such as for the 3rd Duke of Chandos.
The cypher of interlaced C’s resembling a marquess’s coronet on the doors of the cabinet is possibly that of James Brydges, Marquess of Carnarvon, who succeeded as the 3rd Duke of Chandos in 1771. Two of the glass panels on the cabinet appear to have been incised with the name ‘Carnarvon’ further supporting this provenance.
James Brydges was born in 1731, the only son of the 2nd Duke. He married Margaret Nichol, the daughter and heir to John Nichol of London on 22 March 1753 in St. George’s, Hanover Square. She brought him a fortune of £150,000 (The Complete Peerage). Described by George II as ‘a hot-headed, passionate, half-witted coxcomb,’ he served as Lord of the Bedchamber to George III from his accession in 1760 until 1764. It seems likely that he ordered the present bookcase sometime after his wedding for his London residence, Chandos House, in Cavendish Square because Cannons, the family’s country property, had been sold upon the death of his grandfather in 1744. Chandos House was built in the Palladian style in the 1720s by James Wood the Elder (d.1754). Robert Adam later redesigned the house in the neoclassical style for the Duke after his succession in the 1770s.
THE ATTRIBUTION
The cabinet itself is a superior example of mid-18th century exuberance, displaying a coalescence of Chinese influence, French rococo detailing, and Palladian form. It appears to be an adaptation of published patterns such as those seen in plate XXI from Ince & Mayhew's Universal System of Household Furniture, and a number of designs for fretwork and china cabinets in Chippendale's Director. This, along with its elaborate carving are characteristics associated with the work of Wright and Elwick, cabinet-makers from Wakefield, Yorkshire. The quatrefoil panels flanking each outer corner of the fretwork cornice are a common stylistic trait seen on many pieces of furniture by the firm, and appear to be a distinguishing feature of their work. The use of bells and the obvious Chinoiserie ornament recurs in many Wright and Elwick pieces, as do the foliate handles mounted on this cabinet.
Although relatively little is known about their partnership, Richard Wright and Edward Elwick are recorded as supplying furniture to Charles, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham for Wentworth Woodhouse, with a particular emphasis on pieces with fret-carving in the Chinese taste as on this bookcase, much of which was dispersed in two sales held by Christie's in July 1948 and again fifty years later in July 1998. It is conceivable then that this cabinet was a special commission, perhaps for an important London patron such as for the 3rd Duke of Chandos.