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Lot Essay
The initials and coronet are those of William Spencer (Cavendish), 6th Duke of Devonshire (1790-1858), the only son of William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire and his wife, the notorious court beauty and inveterate gambler, Lady Georgiana Spencer.
The 6th Duke, known as "The Bachelor Duke," was a leading figure of Regency and Victorian society, and a close friend to George IV and Tsar Nicholas I. He was a renowned collector of classical and contemporary sculpture and had superb book collection. He carried out extensive renovations at his estates of Chatsworth and Hardwick Hall in Devonshire and Lismore Castle in Ireland. Under the Duke's enthusiastic patronage, his gardener and estate manager Joseph Paxton created a magnificent glass conservatory at Chatsworth which was the model for the Paxton's design of the Crystal Palace in 1851.
A pair of virtually identical silver claret jugs by John Bridge, dated 1827, remain in the collection of Chatsworth.
SUPP IMAGE CAPTION:
William, 6th Duke of Devonshire (1790-1858) by Sir Thomas Lawrence
Devonshire Collection, Chatsworth. By permission of the Duke of Devonshire and the Chatsworth Settlement Trustees.
The 6th Duke, known as "The Bachelor Duke," was a leading figure of Regency and Victorian society, and a close friend to George IV and Tsar Nicholas I. He was a renowned collector of classical and contemporary sculpture and had superb book collection. He carried out extensive renovations at his estates of Chatsworth and Hardwick Hall in Devonshire and Lismore Castle in Ireland. Under the Duke's enthusiastic patronage, his gardener and estate manager Joseph Paxton created a magnificent glass conservatory at Chatsworth which was the model for the Paxton's design of the Crystal Palace in 1851.
A pair of virtually identical silver claret jugs by John Bridge, dated 1827, remain in the collection of Chatsworth.
SUPP IMAGE CAPTION:
William, 6th Duke of Devonshire (1790-1858) by Sir Thomas Lawrence
Devonshire Collection, Chatsworth. By permission of the Duke of Devonshire and the Chatsworth Settlement Trustees.