THIRD QUARTER 18TH CENTURY

Details

A PAIR OF GEORGE III MAHOGANY SERPENTINE COMMODES
THIRD QUARTER 18TH CENTURY
Each with later green-veined marble top above two short and two long drawers, on cabriole legs with scroll feet, with paper catalogue entry pasted to one drawer: 'A PAIR OF GEORGE III SERPENTINE COMMODES in mahogany, each with three graduated drawers, with shaped and rounded sides, raised on cabriole legs with 'French' scroll feet, each with a green veined marble top. 4ft. 5 in. wide originally at Chilworth Manor, Guildford.' with Norman Adams label, inscribed in pencil '14/12/45', one inscribed in chalk '617' and '86x1' the other '86x2', one with round label '1904 George', the handles original
31¾ in. (80.5 cm.) high; 54 in. (137 cm.) wide; 24½ in. (62 cm.) deep (2)

Provenance

The late Alfred Mildmay, Esq. (1871-1945) Chilworth Manor, Guildford, sold in these Rooms, 13 December 1945, lot 102 (£399 to Harris) and subsequently sold again at Christie's.
With Norman Adams.

Special notice

VAT rate of 17.5% is payable on hammer price plus buyer's premium.

Lot Essay

The serpentined chest-of-drawers is designed in the elegant mid-18th Century 'Picturesque' manner that evolved in part from an engraving of a Louis Quatorze sarcophagus 'commode' chest after a design by Jean Bérain (d. 1711).
A related commode from The Moller Collection at Thorncombe Park, Surrey was sold at Sotheby's, London, 18 November 1994, lot 90. A further related three drawer commode was sold from the Samuel Messer Collection, in these Rooms, 5 December 1991, lot 106. A commode of similar form is illustrated in M. Jourdain and F. Rose, English Furniture: The Georgian Period (1750-1830), London, 1953, pl. 108.
Alfred Mildmay was the Senior Partner of Baring's.

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