A PAIR OF GEORGE III SHEFFIELD PLATE CANDLESTICKS

This collection is dedicated to the late Berry B. Tracy whose encyclopedic knowledge of Americana inspired many neophytes, such as myself, to acquire, appreciate and continue to study the Decorative Arts. I visited the Newark Museum in 1963 because it was on the way to New York City from Fort Dix where I was nearing the end of my active duty. My sergeant had given me permission to leave early on Friday if it were for "educational" reasons. I remembered my Uncle's advice that I should buy old rather than new furniture because it would have resale value. Noticing that some of the lenders to "Classical America" were dealers, I asked the guard if anything were for sale. He said "There's someone in the next room who can help you." That was Berry Tracy, who, within minutes, escorted me outside the Museum to Gus Scheiner's shop, also in Broad Street. Berry showed me a New York sideboard, said it was probably made by Lannuier, and that I must buy this masterpiece. A $35 deposit did it. I had the very best teacher. I hope I have been a good student. I alerted my sister who lived in Rhinebeck to find out about country auctions. I got on Cal Smith's mailing list. I had begun to read about the early nineteenth century so that I could call Berry who was visiting his parents in Iowa and say, "Doesn't Luman Reed have something to do with the Hudson River School?" He replied, "Luman Who? I'm flying right back." At that auction we both bought many wonderful things and I began my collecting in earnest. Reed's armoire, which is in the sale, taught me and reinforced Berry's opinion on what this furniture should look like. Because no light ever hit the interior drawers, they retain the bright, shiny surface they had when they left Phyfe's shop. Also, the brass bale handles had much of the lemon yellow varnish which gave the metal a distinct golden color, more like gold jewelry than brass. These observations were why Berry insisted that finishes be shiny and the brass hardware be gold plated. Berry told me to personally remove all the upholstery nails on the frame of Reed's armchair. In so doing, I found small snips of original fabric; a vivid royal blue, definitely not a faded pastel. This told me what fabric I needed for re-upholstery. The late Edward Vason Jones, of Albany, Georgia was also a profound encouragement in my collecting. We three often went antiquing together in my car, visiting many private collections in the South, a rich repository of New York Classical furniture. We finally did have to set up a ground rule that no one would enter a shop before the driver had parked and could join the others. Before Berry passed away in 1984, he name me Executor of his Estate. His papers yielded lists of owners of pieces he was patiently waiting to acquire. Fortunately, I have been able to add some to my collection. After thirty years of collecting, loving and living with these beautiful things, I now wish to live with less responsibility and travel more. The Goncourt Brothers in 19th century Paris express my feelings that it is time for others to also experience what I have done. New York, 1993 BIOGRAPHIES Cabinetmakers Joseph Brauwers: Ebeniste from Paris. Located in New York at 163 William Street, possibly as early as 1814. Moved to 305 Pearl Street by 1824. (Antiques, (April, 1963), p. 459) Duncan Phyfe (1768-1854): Born Duncan Fife in Lock Fannich, Scotland, Phyfe came to America with his mother and brothers in 1789. The family settled in Albany, New York, where Phyfe established a cabinet shop. By the age of twenty-four, he moved to New York City. He appears in the Mechanic's Society records and the New York Directory in 1792; the spelling of his name was still Fife and his occupation was listed as a joiner. By 1794, the spelling of his name changed and he was listed instead as a cabinetmaker. From 1792 to 1794, Phyfe was located on Broad Street. By 1797, he was on Partition Street (later renamed Fulton Street) where he remained for the duration of his career, establishing one of the most prominent cabinetmaking businesses in New York. Phyfe made furniture that spanned the fashions of the Neoclassical era to the Gothic and Louis XIV revivals, most renowned for his furniture made in the first few decades of the nineteenth century. By the time he retired, Phyfe was a wealthy man, having made his fortune in both the local and export cabinet trade as well as in real estate ventures; his inventory amassed to an astounding $309,671.67. See Brown, "Duncan Phyfe," (Master's thesis, University of Delaware, 1978); McClelland, Duncan Phyfe and the English Regency, (New York, 1939). Charles-Honore Lannuier (1779-1819): Born in Chantilly, France, forty miles outside of Paris, Lannuier was the younger brother of Parisian ebeniste Nicolas Lannuier, with whom he probably apprenticed. Nicolas disappeared from French records after 1804, shortly after Charles-Honore's departure for New York in 1803. In New York, Lannuier joined a growing stronghold of French emigres, which included several brothers and possibly his father. Lannuier is first cited in New York through a New-York Evening Post advertisement on July 15, 1803 announcing his business. He appears thereafter in the directories at 60 Broad Street until his untimely death. Lannuier is credited to a large extent with introducing the traditions of the French ebeniste to New York, producing furniture with a continental cosmopolitan flair, yet also a craftsman of English Regency designs. Like Phyfe, he was a very successful artisan and businessman, reknowned as one of the preeminent cabinetmakers in New York. (See Brown, "Duncan Phyfe," pp. 60-70; Waxman, "French Influence on American Decorative Arts of the Early Nineteenth Century," (Master's thesis, University of Delaware, 1958). Patrons Rufus King (1755-1827): Federalist statesman and minister to Great Britain. Educated at Dummer Academy in South Byfield, Massachusetts, King later graduated from Harvard in 1777 and was admitted to the bar in 1778. A Massachusetts delegate to Congress, he was a respected orator and a signer of the Constitution. King married Mary Alsop in 1786, the only daughter of a wealthy New York merchant. He moved to New York City where he was elected a United States senator and was an ardent supporter of Hamilton. King is credited with instituting the Bank of the United States and was also named a minister to Great Britain in 1796. He unsuccessfully ran as a vice-presidential candidate with Charles C. Pinckney in 1804, and again in 1808 under the Federalist party. King was elected to the Senate in 1813, and in 1816 ran in the presidential election. King was the author of the Navigation Act of 1818 and was a staunch abolitionist. See, the Dictionary of American Biography, ( ), pp. 398-400. Luman Reed (1787-1836): Born in Columbia County, New York, Reed was the son of a merchant farmer. His career began in his father's store where he was involved with trade along the Hudson. He received a position in a grocery business in New York and was made a partner by 1815. His standing and fortunes grew and he soon became one of the wealthiest merchants in New York. Possibly due to his lack of a formal education, Reed became a great patron of the arts. He encouraged and commissioned paintings from Asher B. Durand, Thomas Cole, and William Sidney Mount, among others. To enlighten the public to the work of native artists, he opened his picture gallery in his residence on Greenwich Street for viewing one day a week. His patronage spurred other notables to also begin such collections and broadened the awareness of the support for American artists. His painting collection is now at the New York Historical Society. See the Dictionary of American Biography, ( ), p. 453.

Details

A PAIR OF GEORGE III SHEFFIELD PLATE CANDLESTICKS
CIRCA 1800

Each with reeded rims above fluted candle cups and flared and fluted standard, on a conforming base with reeded edge--12 1/4in. high (2)

Provenance

Berry B. Tracy