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Lot Essay
When The Prince of Wales attained his majority in 1783 Parliament moved that he should be given Carleton House as his London residence, together with an allowance of 60,000 for its renovation. The house had been vacant since the death of Princess Augusta, Dowager Princess of Wales in 1772 and the structure inherited by the Prince was an irregular mass of conflicting styles and dates, with the only unification coming in the form of the southern façade designed by Henry Flitcroft. On beginning work at Carlton House the Prince quickly dispensed with the services of Court Architect Sir William Chambers (1723-1796) replacing him with Henry Holland. Holland had spent time in Paris where he had been much influenced by the French approach to neoclassicism promoted under the reign of Louis XVI. Holland was to transform Carlton House into a palace to rival any in Europe in terms of splendour, if not scale, owing to its restricted site. The ground-breaking décor Holland introduced for the Prince, from 1787 with the assistance of the émigré marchand-mercier Dominique Daguerre (d. 1796), who was influential not only in the sourcing of French works of art to decorate the interiors but in helping Holland secure the services of the finest émigré craftsmen.
The avant-garde interiors at Carlton House led the fashion in interior decoration away from the light classicism promoted by the leading architects of the day such as Robert Adam or James Stuart providing a much richer, bolder mise-en-scène by employing bolder, cleaner detail and stronger colours. Sadly these interiors which were so influential in the formation of the 'Regency taste' were not to last as the Prince, by this time King George IV, would in 1825 demolish the house and redevelop the site to finance his lavish schemes at Buckingham House and Windsor Castle.
The French fashion in architecture and interior design promoted by Holland under the Prince's patronage quickly gained favour amongst the fashionable patrons with Holland undertaking work for clients such as the 2nd Earl Spencer at Althorp; Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford, at Woburn Abbey and Oakley House, and Samuel Whitbread at Southill. The design and execution of these corner brackets is typical of the carving produced under the direction of Holland by prominent cabinet makers such as Marsh & Tatham, Françoise Hervé, Morel & Hughes or John Kerr, and bares particular comparison perhaps with that to the base of a pair centre tables, supplied by Holland, for the drawing room at Southill, which employ similarly carved leaves to the base of the shaft (F.J.B. Watson, 'The Furniture and Decoration', Southill A Regency House, London, 1951, p. 29, fig. 47). Along with the similarity of design to Holland work and exemplary quality of these brackets, the fact that the design is derived from The Prince of Wales's feathers can only support the possibility that these brackets once graced the interiors of that great lost palace, Carlton House.
Professor Sir Albert Richardson was a great admirer of Holland's work, working on some of his most notable buildings, such as Woburn Abbey, Bedfordshire. This interest was not purely professional as it is a thread also that runs through the Professor's collection which includes a great many objects which can be related, directly or indirectly to Holland and his craftsmen, see lots: 19, 20, 69, 70 and 106-111.
The avant-garde interiors at Carlton House led the fashion in interior decoration away from the light classicism promoted by the leading architects of the day such as Robert Adam or James Stuart providing a much richer, bolder mise-en-scène by employing bolder, cleaner detail and stronger colours. Sadly these interiors which were so influential in the formation of the 'Regency taste' were not to last as the Prince, by this time King George IV, would in 1825 demolish the house and redevelop the site to finance his lavish schemes at Buckingham House and Windsor Castle.
The French fashion in architecture and interior design promoted by Holland under the Prince's patronage quickly gained favour amongst the fashionable patrons with Holland undertaking work for clients such as the 2nd Earl Spencer at Althorp; Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford, at Woburn Abbey and Oakley House, and Samuel Whitbread at Southill. The design and execution of these corner brackets is typical of the carving produced under the direction of Holland by prominent cabinet makers such as Marsh & Tatham, Françoise Hervé, Morel & Hughes or John Kerr, and bares particular comparison perhaps with that to the base of a pair centre tables, supplied by Holland, for the drawing room at Southill, which employ similarly carved leaves to the base of the shaft (F.J.B. Watson, 'The Furniture and Decoration', Southill A Regency House, London, 1951, p. 29, fig. 47). Along with the similarity of design to Holland work and exemplary quality of these brackets, the fact that the design is derived from The Prince of Wales's feathers can only support the possibility that these brackets once graced the interiors of that great lost palace, Carlton House.
Professor Sir Albert Richardson was a great admirer of Holland's work, working on some of his most notable buildings, such as Woburn Abbey, Bedfordshire. This interest was not purely professional as it is a thread also that runs through the Professor's collection which includes a great many objects which can be related, directly or indirectly to Holland and his craftsmen, see lots: 19, 20, 69, 70 and 106-111.