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Lot Essay
This finely carved pair of mahogany candle-stands, with high-hipped tripod bases and distinctive flattened scrolled feet, exemplifies Thomas Chippendale’s most refined interpretation of the mid-18th century English tripod table form. Closely related to documented examples supplied by Chippendale for Blair Castle in 1758 and Dumfries House in 1759, they formed part of the Samuel Messer Collection, one of the most significant assemblages of English furniture formed in the 20th century.
The high-hipped tripod bases of this pair of candle-stands follow the pattern of Thomas Chippendale's most popular type of occasional table, such as that of Guadalupe wood supplied in 1764 to Sir Lawrence Dundas at 19 Arlington street (C. Gilbert, The Life and Work of Thomas Chippendale, 1978, vol. II, fig. 470). The bases of three pole-screens supplied by Chippendale for Dumfries House in 1759 are also close in style (op.cit., fig. 328). On the present pair of candle-stands Chippendale's standard tea and work-table tripod base is combined with the flattened scrolled feet found on the pair of candle-stands supplied in 1758 for Blair Castle (op.cit., fig. 378). A pair of candle-stands with identical shafts but hexagonal tops was sold from the S. Eckman Collection at Sotheby's, London, 6 October 1967, lot 166.
SAMUEL MESSER
The present pair of candle-stands belong to a group of three pairs offered in the landmark sale; The Samuel Messer Collection of English Furniture at Christie's, London, 5 December 1991 (lots 93-95) of which the present pair was lot 94.
The Messer collection of furniture, clocks and barometers epitomised the extraordinary creative output of the 18th Century. In one way the sale marked the end of a generation of great English furniture collections formed in the 20th century in Britain, while on the other hand it raised the appreciation for fine English furniture to new heights inspiring a new generation of collectors. Samuel Messer was one of the very small, elite group of connoisseurs of Georgian furniture - including Percival Griffiths, Geoffrey Blackwell, J.S. Sykes, Fred Skull and James Thursby-Pelham - who formed the nucleus of their collections under the guidance of R.W. Symonds (d.1958). When advising his clients Symonds placed great emphasis on original patination, a well-balanced design and good quality timber and carving and the present pair of candle-stands perfectly epitomise these collecting principals.
The high-hipped tripod bases of this pair of candle-stands follow the pattern of Thomas Chippendale's most popular type of occasional table, such as that of Guadalupe wood supplied in 1764 to Sir Lawrence Dundas at 19 Arlington street (C. Gilbert, The Life and Work of Thomas Chippendale, 1978, vol. II, fig. 470). The bases of three pole-screens supplied by Chippendale for Dumfries House in 1759 are also close in style (op.cit., fig. 328). On the present pair of candle-stands Chippendale's standard tea and work-table tripod base is combined with the flattened scrolled feet found on the pair of candle-stands supplied in 1758 for Blair Castle (op.cit., fig. 378). A pair of candle-stands with identical shafts but hexagonal tops was sold from the S. Eckman Collection at Sotheby's, London, 6 October 1967, lot 166.
SAMUEL MESSER
The present pair of candle-stands belong to a group of three pairs offered in the landmark sale; The Samuel Messer Collection of English Furniture at Christie's, London, 5 December 1991 (lots 93-95) of which the present pair was lot 94.
The Messer collection of furniture, clocks and barometers epitomised the extraordinary creative output of the 18th Century. In one way the sale marked the end of a generation of great English furniture collections formed in the 20th century in Britain, while on the other hand it raised the appreciation for fine English furniture to new heights inspiring a new generation of collectors. Samuel Messer was one of the very small, elite group of connoisseurs of Georgian furniture - including Percival Griffiths, Geoffrey Blackwell, J.S. Sykes, Fred Skull and James Thursby-Pelham - who formed the nucleus of their collections under the guidance of R.W. Symonds (d.1958). When advising his clients Symonds placed great emphasis on original patination, a well-balanced design and good quality timber and carving and the present pair of candle-stands perfectly epitomise these collecting principals.