Lot Essay
This pair of gueridon-stands, of antique tripod form supported by garlanded nymph herms, display the plumed-feather badge of George, Prince of Wales, later King George IV. Two from a set of four jardinières, they were designed en suite with the four companion torchères supplied for the Prince of Wales's rooms at the Queen's House (now Buckingham Palace) by William Gates (d. circa 1800), cabinet-maker of St. Martin's Lane. Appointed Royal Warrant Holder as 'Tradesman to the Great Wardrobe', Gates describes the torchères in his invoice for the quarter ending 5 January 1782:
for 4 exceeding superb Tripods or Therms, each in a triangle form carved with women's heads at each corner supporting a large vase to receive a glass lustre for candles, a satyr's foot at bottom with rich swags in groups of flowers dropping from the women's breasts, a sun on each side in the middle with feathers and various ornaments made to a drawing chose by the prince, with strong iron plates made to the shape of the legs screwed, and straps screwed up to the under part of the top and a screw tap'ed at the bottom to go thro' the foot and screwed on the underside with a nut, to keep the whole from trembling & all richly gilt in burnished gold #243 0. 0.
for 4 printed leather covers to Do lined with green flannell and bound with gilt leather and tye on with green silk ferretts
# 5 12. 0.
for 2 pair of very superb Girandoles richly cut, ornamented and mounted in gilt... #96 0. 0.
for 4 Green baize covers to do #2 12. 0
(P.R.O.LC9/329).
As Gates' description would appear to indicate, the companion torchères (of which a pair was sold by the Trustees of the Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth Charitable Trust in these Rooms, 8 July 1993, lot 50) were originally surmounted by lustres or girandoles that rested directly upon the tazza-shaped platform supported by the nymph's shoulders, and that the hollowed-triangular plinths with arabesque panels and feathered double-cup socle were a slightly later modification. The pendant jardinières were almost certainly supplied at this time, but without the garlanded floral swags which would, no doubt, have appeared superfluous once the jardinières were properly bedecked with flowers.
The torchères and en suite jardinières are directly inspired by the multi-purpose Louis XVI athenienne, such as was advertised by Jean-Henri Eberts in 1773 as a new form of furniture serving as 'Console.... casolette... rechaud... pot au fleurs'. A pair of such stands with removable marble tops for both candelabra and jardinière, now at Shugborough, Staffordshire, have been attributed to the design of the architect James Stuart. It is interesting, therefore that the peculiar form of the fluted ribbon-guillloche decorating the arched plinths of these Royal Stands derives from Stuarts' Antiquities of Athens, 1762, pl.
The design of these stands, with princely feathers united by a jewelled belt to laurel-wreathed shields bearing the sun god's enrayed mask, celebrates the Regent's role as an Apollo of the Arts and is likely to have been provided by the architect John Yenn (d. 1821), under the supervision of Sir William Chambers (d. 1796), Surveyor General of George III's Royal Works. Certainly Yenn may well have been responsible for the design of the related set of lustre-stands supplied to Queen Charlotte's Saloon (D. Watkin The Royal Interiors of Regency England, London, 1984, p. 82).
The set of four torchères and jardinières en suite most probably left the Royal Collection during Queen Victoria's reign, as the Shuttleworth pair was certainly in the possession of the Rt. Hon. G.A.F. Cavendish Bentinck, M.P., P.C., of No. 3 Grafton Street, London and Brownsea Island before 1891, when it was sold in these Rooms on 9 July, lot 331.
Unlike the jardinières, which retain their double-cup reeded feet, the torchères were cut down to allow for later castors
for 4 exceeding superb Tripods or Therms, each in a triangle form carved with women's heads at each corner supporting a large vase to receive a glass lustre for candles, a satyr's foot at bottom with rich swags in groups of flowers dropping from the women's breasts, a sun on each side in the middle with feathers and various ornaments made to a drawing chose by the prince, with strong iron plates made to the shape of the legs screwed, and straps screwed up to the under part of the top and a screw tap'ed at the bottom to go thro' the foot and screwed on the underside with a nut, to keep the whole from trembling & all richly gilt in burnished gold #243 0. 0.
for 4 printed leather covers to Do lined with green flannell and bound with gilt leather and tye on with green silk ferretts
# 5 12. 0.
for 2 pair of very superb Girandoles richly cut, ornamented and mounted in gilt... #96 0. 0.
for 4 Green baize covers to do #2 12. 0
(P.R.O.LC9/329).
As Gates' description would appear to indicate, the companion torchères (of which a pair was sold by the Trustees of the Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth Charitable Trust in these Rooms, 8 July 1993, lot 50) were originally surmounted by lustres or girandoles that rested directly upon the tazza-shaped platform supported by the nymph's shoulders, and that the hollowed-triangular plinths with arabesque panels and feathered double-cup socle were a slightly later modification. The pendant jardinières were almost certainly supplied at this time, but without the garlanded floral swags which would, no doubt, have appeared superfluous once the jardinières were properly bedecked with flowers.
The torchères and en suite jardinières are directly inspired by the multi-purpose Louis XVI athenienne, such as was advertised by Jean-Henri Eberts in 1773 as a new form of furniture serving as 'Console.... casolette... rechaud... pot au fleurs'. A pair of such stands with removable marble tops for both candelabra and jardinière, now at Shugborough, Staffordshire, have been attributed to the design of the architect James Stuart. It is interesting, therefore that the peculiar form of the fluted ribbon-guillloche decorating the arched plinths of these Royal Stands derives from Stuarts' Antiquities of Athens, 1762, pl.
The design of these stands, with princely feathers united by a jewelled belt to laurel-wreathed shields bearing the sun god's enrayed mask, celebrates the Regent's role as an Apollo of the Arts and is likely to have been provided by the architect John Yenn (d. 1821), under the supervision of Sir William Chambers (d. 1796), Surveyor General of George III's Royal Works. Certainly Yenn may well have been responsible for the design of the related set of lustre-stands supplied to Queen Charlotte's Saloon (D. Watkin The Royal Interiors of Regency England, London, 1984, p. 82).
The set of four torchères and jardinières en suite most probably left the Royal Collection during Queen Victoria's reign, as the Shuttleworth pair was certainly in the possession of the Rt. Hon. G.A.F. Cavendish Bentinck, M.P., P.C., of No. 3 Grafton Street, London and Brownsea Island before 1891, when it was sold in these Rooms on 9 July, lot 331.
Unlike the jardinières, which retain their double-cup reeded feet, the torchères were cut down to allow for later castors