A FINE GEORGE II GOLD AND AGATE NECESSAIRE

JAMES COX, LONDON, CIRCA 1765

Details

A FINE GEORGE II GOLD AND AGATE NECESSAIRE
James Cox, London, circa 1765
Realistically formed as a chest-of-drawers on four spirally fluted golden agate feet, the case and overhanging top comprised of striated mocha and golden agate panels with chased rocaille gold mounts, the outset corners with bloodstone columns surmounted by floral sprays of multi-colored pastes, the front two columns embellished with a garland of alternating purple and white pastes, the case fitted with four drawers each with a different agate specimen and mounted with floral swags of multi-colored pastes, the case surmounted by a small watch realistically formed as a mantel clock within a gold case chased with pavillions and trees and supported by outset golden agate columns surmounted by carved agate knops, two knops with crescent moons with golden stars, the two front columns with garlands of alternating red and green pastes, the top of the clock case with panels of bloodstone, mocha, and amber agate surmounted by a floral bouquet of multi-colored pastes, the associated watch dial with painted black arabic numerals and minute markers and gold skeletonized hands, the movement signed G. Gardner London 1734, the bezel with alternating red and green pastes, a garland of multi-colored floral pastes below, apparently unmarked
9in. (24cm.) high

Provenance

A la Vieille Russie, New York

Lot Essay

A similar furniture-form necessaire signed by James Cox, also with striated agate panels, watch movement, and similar floral paste finials, is in the collection of the Hermitage (illustrated in The Hermitage: English Art Sixteenth to Nineteenth Centuries, Leningrad, 1979, pls. 208-209). Another necessaire attributed to Cox, formed as a bombé chest-of-drawers with a watch, is in the Gilbert Collection (see Charles Truman, The Gilbert Collection of Gold Boxes, 1991, pp. 309-310).

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