BY ROBERT BLAKE, CIRCA 1830

Robert Blake is known principally for the ormolu-mounted, tortoiseshell and ebony 'Boulle' commodes he executed directly after the celebrated pair supplied by André-Charles Boulle in 1708-09 for the Chamber of Louis XIV at the Grand Trianon, of which one pair is in the Frick Collection, New York. His creations tended to follow the great pieces of French 18th century furniture that were being collected in the early years of the 19th century by such francophile collectors as George, Prince of Wales, later George IV, George Watson-Taylor, William Beckford and Francis Seymour-Conway, 3rd Marquess of Hertford. Apart from these commodes, very few signed pieces executed by the firm are recorded. Recently, a pair of commodes by Blake of London, directly after the aforementioned model by Boulle, was sold anonymously at Christie's, New York, 25 October 2007, lot 369 ($577,000), while a single example by Blake of the same model was sold, anonymously 'Belgravia and Lake Geneva, two European Collections', Christie's, London, 14 May 2009, lot 115 (£145,250).

Relatively little is known about Blake and his firm, which continued under his four sons, George, Charles, James and Henry. Robert is listed in Robson's Commercial Directory of 1823 at 8 Stephen Street, Tottenham Court Road, as "Buhl Cutter" (we are grateful to John Bedford for this information) and again in 1826 in the Post Office Directory, as "Cabinet inlayer and Buhl manufacturer", and was certainly connected with the well-known John Webb, of Old Bond Street. The signature on the present lot may pre-date 1840, when the firm became known as R. Blake & Sons, renaming itself Blake; Geo & Brothers in 1841; then George Blake & Co., cabinetmaker, 130 Mount Street, London, and also still in Stephen Street in 1844; George Blake in 1846-1850, 53 Mount Street; and 1851-1853(?) George Blake, 53 Mortimer Street. The Stephen Street premises was still used by family members, variously as 'Blake, J. & H', by 1853 'Blake, Chas. & H.,' listed until 1880.