BY PIERRE DENIZOT AND JEAN HOFFENRICHLER DIT PORTARANGE, LAST QUARTER 18TH CENTURY

Details

A LOUIS XVI ORMOLU-MOUNTED MAHOGANY SECRETAIRE A ABATTANT
BY PIERRE DENIZOT AND JEAN HOFFENRICHLER DIT PORTARANGE, LAST QUARTER 18TH CENTURY
The canted rectangular later brèche d'Alep marble top above a frieze drawer, above a panelled fall front with gilt-tooled green leather writing-surface enclosing two shelves above a central recess flanked by three drawers on either side, the bottom right drawer with later beech divisions, above two doors enclosing a shelf and a flap, the canted angles headed by foliate panels above Corinthian capitals above fluted columns on turned tapering front feet, stamped 'P. DENIZOT' and stamped 'J. PORTARANGE, JME', the back with fragment of label inscribed in black ink ' Col. D', top left corner of back with paper label printed 'Property of A. E. H. Digby', and with fragment of paper label, '...ilton Palace, No.', ring handles possibly later, majority of mounts 18th century but with some later additions
55½ in. (141 cm.) high; 39 in. (99 cm.) wide; 16¼ in. (41 cm.) deep

Pierre Denizot (1740-1782), maître in 1760.
Jean Hoffenrichler, dit Potarange, maître in 1767.

Provenance

William 12th Duke of Hamilton, Hamilton Palace, Lanarkshire;
Chistie's 'Hamilton Palace Sale', 17 July 1882, lot 1793 (62 gns to Mainwaring?).
Col. The Hon. E.C. Digby and by descent to
A.E.H. Digby, Esq. (+) (1889-1950) Sotheby's, London, 22 June 1951, lot 84.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

The superlative Collections ultimately gathered at Hamilton Palace by 1882 - as a result of both the Beckford and Hamilton inheritances: William Beckford's daughter, Susan Euphemia had in 1810 married Alexander Douglas Hamilton, 10th Duke of Hamilton (d. 1852) - led one commentator to describe it as 'One of the noblest residences in Europe... and probably containing a greater collection of rare works of art than the abode of any man under the rank of sovereign...'.
Beckford's agent and account keeper, Franchi made a number of visits to Hamilton Palace, which the latter referred to on occasion as the 'Scottish Court' or 'Kingdom of the Cinquefoils' in reference to the family's 'lily' armorials.

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