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Lot Essay
This sinuous sofa conceived in the French manner is attributed to the celebrated London cabinet-making firm of Mayhew & Ince whose oeuvre is characterised by scrolled arms that descend directly into the tops of the legs, the fluted pillar leg with capitals of ring turned collars and the distinctive elongated oval patera. Some of these features can be seen on a suite of seat-furniture, which includes a pair of sofas, supplied by the firm to Richard Myddelton (d. 1795), now in the Saloon at Chirk Castle, Wrexham.
The firm is recorded as having supplied a significant amount of furniture to the 5th Duke at Woburn Abbey, and to a lesser extent, Oakley House. This included an 'extra large sized' sofa in 1790 for £43 16s for Woburn (Ed. G. Beard, C. Gilbert, Dictionary of English Furniture Makers 1660-1840, Leeds, 1986, p. 597). There are several pieces of important attributable furniture in the Woburn Abbey collection today, including a magnificent ebony cabinet, a writing table and folio-stand, and interestingly the latter two are described in Woburn room guides as 'attributed to Henry Holland and Mayhew and Ince', thereby reinforcing the close collaboration that existed between the two firms in this period.
In the 'Drawing Room' of the 1861 inventory for Oakley House there is listed 'A 7 foot Conversation Sofa on Carved frame turned legs Japanned white & gold & castors Stuffed & Covered in Blue striped tabouret 2 bolsters loose chintz Case brown holland 2 down pillows in Tabouret & 2 Needlework do. 2 Chintz Covers 2 Holland Covers', which is likely this sofa. Analysis of the decoration has shown that it was formerly white-painted and parcel-gilt. Analysis of the decoration has shown that this daybed was originally parcel-gilt and green-painted, interestingly this and the daybed, also attributed to Mayhew and Ince (lot 106) are the only two pieces amongst the Oakley Park furniture to have been applied with a preparation layer of gesso prior to the original decoration.
The firm is recorded as having supplied a significant amount of furniture to the 5th Duke at Woburn Abbey, and to a lesser extent, Oakley House. This included an 'extra large sized' sofa in 1790 for £43 16s for Woburn (Ed. G. Beard, C. Gilbert, Dictionary of English Furniture Makers 1660-1840, Leeds, 1986, p. 597). There are several pieces of important attributable furniture in the Woburn Abbey collection today, including a magnificent ebony cabinet, a writing table and folio-stand, and interestingly the latter two are described in Woburn room guides as 'attributed to Henry Holland and Mayhew and Ince', thereby reinforcing the close collaboration that existed between the two firms in this period.
In the 'Drawing Room' of the 1861 inventory for Oakley House there is listed 'A 7 foot Conversation Sofa on Carved frame turned legs Japanned white & gold & castors Stuffed & Covered in Blue striped tabouret 2 bolsters loose chintz Case brown holland 2 down pillows in Tabouret & 2 Needlework do. 2 Chintz Covers 2 Holland Covers', which is likely this sofa. Analysis of the decoration has shown that it was formerly white-painted and parcel-gilt. Analysis of the decoration has shown that this daybed was originally parcel-gilt and green-painted, interestingly this and the daybed, also attributed to Mayhew and Ince (lot 106) are the only two pieces amongst the Oakley Park furniture to have been applied with a preparation layer of gesso prior to the original decoration.