CIRCA 1780

Details

A George III pine and pewter applied chimneypiece
Circa 1780
The frieze tablet with repousse-swagged urn, the jambs with further urns and anthemions
59¼ in. (150.5 cm.) high, 68 in. (172.8 cm.) wide, 6¼ in. (16 cm.) deep; the opening -- 43¾ in. (111 cm.) high, 44¾in. (113.5 cm.) wide

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium, which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis. This lot is subject to storage and collection charges. **For Furniture and Decorative Objects, storage charges commence 7 days from sale. Please contact department for further details.**

Lot Essay

The chimneypiece is designed in the George III Roman fashion popularised by the court architect Robert Adam (d.1792). The antique fluted frieze displays a central tablet of a veil-draped and laurel festooned sacred urn, while the pilasters are embellished with palm-flowered arabesques.
The ornamentation of chimneypieces with both pewter and gesso ornament is prevalent from the 1770's. The metalic surface was meant to be painted to merge with the background. One of the principle exponents of the manufacture of pewter ornament was the Soho works of Matthew Boulton and John Fothergill.
COMPARATIVE LITERATURE:
Alison Kelly The Book of English Fireplaces, London, 1968, pp.62-63. Sir Nicholas Goodison Matthew Boulton: Ormolu, London, 2002, pp.191-192.

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