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Lot Essay
The attribution of this commode to Mayhew and Ince is based on its stylistic similarity to their general production, particularly the marquetry, as well as its close comparison to a pair of commodes made by the Soho firm for the 4th Duke of Marlborough (d. 1817), with whom they had a very strong connection. They had dedicated their 1762 Universal System of Household Furniture to the 4th Duke and he employed them over many years for furniture and furnishings at Blenheim Palace (see H. Roberts, ‘Nicely Fitted Up - Furniture for the 4th Duke of Marlborough’, Furniture History, 1994, pp. 117-149).
This model of commode is conceived as a 'pier commode-table' with pilaster legs terminating in herm feet. Its exotic veneer is inlaid in the George III 'antique' manner, and reflects the fashion for Rome promoted by architects such as Robert Adam (d. 1792) and James Wyatt (d. 1813). The top is embellished with husk-entwined paterae and an oval Palmyra sunflower within an arabesque medallion. The edge is inlaid with a string of pearls in line with the 'antique' trompe l'oeil flutes in the frieze. The medallions to the top and doors derive from an engraving of the Sun God Apollo's temple that was illustrated in Robert Wood's Ruins of the Temple of Palmyra, 1753. These notable ornamental features were often employed by Mayhew & Ince: the fluted frieze and relatively spare decoration is displayed on a pair of commodes attributed to the firm, formerly in the Leverhulme Collection, sold Christie’s London 10 April 2003, lot 76 (£53,775); the husks and fluted frieze both appear on a commode also attributed to Mayhew & Ince, sold Christie’s, London, 30 November 2000, lot 130 (£91,750); the oval medallions to the doors can be found on the Marlborough commodes, sold from Whiteknights, the 5th Duke's house near Reading, in the early 19th century, subsequently sold from the Tythrop Park collection, Christie's, London, 27 April 1995, lot 36 (£320,500) and most recently sold at Sotheby’s, London, 3 December 2013, lot 353 (£200,000); as well as on the doors of a bookcase, attributed to the firm with a tentative provenance of Warren Hastings at Daylesford House, Gloucestershire, offered in these rooms, 9 June 2009, lot 219.
An identical commode of this pattern and the same dimensions, possibly the pair to this commode, is illustrated in C. Claxton Stevens and S. Whittington, English Furniture, The Norman Adams Collection, Woodbridge, 1983, p. 398 and col. pl. 40 and was exhibited by Norman Adams at the Victoria and Albert Museum, International Art Treasures Exhibition, 2 March - 29 April 1962, p. 11, no. 76 and pl. 50.
This model of commode is conceived as a 'pier commode-table' with pilaster legs terminating in herm feet. Its exotic veneer is inlaid in the George III 'antique' manner, and reflects the fashion for Rome promoted by architects such as Robert Adam (d. 1792) and James Wyatt (d. 1813). The top is embellished with husk-entwined paterae and an oval Palmyra sunflower within an arabesque medallion. The edge is inlaid with a string of pearls in line with the 'antique' trompe l'oeil flutes in the frieze. The medallions to the top and doors derive from an engraving of the Sun God Apollo's temple that was illustrated in Robert Wood's Ruins of the Temple of Palmyra, 1753. These notable ornamental features were often employed by Mayhew & Ince: the fluted frieze and relatively spare decoration is displayed on a pair of commodes attributed to the firm, formerly in the Leverhulme Collection, sold Christie’s London 10 April 2003, lot 76 (£53,775); the husks and fluted frieze both appear on a commode also attributed to Mayhew & Ince, sold Christie’s, London, 30 November 2000, lot 130 (£91,750); the oval medallions to the doors can be found on the Marlborough commodes, sold from Whiteknights, the 5th Duke's house near Reading, in the early 19th century, subsequently sold from the Tythrop Park collection, Christie's, London, 27 April 1995, lot 36 (£320,500) and most recently sold at Sotheby’s, London, 3 December 2013, lot 353 (£200,000); as well as on the doors of a bookcase, attributed to the firm with a tentative provenance of Warren Hastings at Daylesford House, Gloucestershire, offered in these rooms, 9 June 2009, lot 219.
An identical commode of this pattern and the same dimensions, possibly the pair to this commode, is illustrated in C. Claxton Stevens and S. Whittington, English Furniture, The Norman Adams Collection, Woodbridge, 1983, p. 398 and col. pl. 40 and was exhibited by Norman Adams at the Victoria and Albert Museum, International Art Treasures Exhibition, 2 March - 29 April 1962, p. 11, no. 76 and pl. 50.