ATTRIBUTED TO WILLIAM KENT, THE CARVING PROBABLY BY JOHN BOSON, CIRCA 1733-34

William Kent (d. 1748) was without a doubt one of the most influential designers of the Georgian period in Great Britain, and this highly ornamental and elaborately carved mirror which is rather Baroque in style, illustrates the prevailing influence of Inigo Jones (d. 1652) on his work. A nearly identical mirror which must certainly be the pair to this lot was gifted to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, in 1911 by Sir Edward Stern (W.86-1911), and is illustrated in P. Macquoid, The Dictionary of English Furniture, rev. ed., 1954, vol. II, p. 337, fig. 66. The mirrors feature a unique interpretation of the typical tête espagnolette, replacing the female mask with a stylized green man, and instead of the usual feather headdress is the heraldic badge of the Prince of Wales, consisting of three ostrich plumes encircled by a royal coronet of alternate crosses and fleurs-de-lis. Two immense textured scallop shells serve as a backdrop, resulting in a wholly three-dimensional effect. It is an expertly crafted work of art, which is a testament to the skill of the carvers employed by Kent.

The carving of this mirror and its pair in the V&A corresponds closely with that seen on the stern of the Royal Barge designed by William Kent for Frederick, Prince of Wales (Royal Collection Trust, RCIN 69797), which features the badge as well. In addition to the Royal Barge, Kent was also commissioned to design the White House at Kew for the Prince, which was demolished in 1802 but from which some furniture is known to survive. It is highly likely that these mirrors were also commissioned by the Prince of Wales for the White House. This in turn deems them an incredibly important surviving material record of Kent's work for the Prince of Wales, as few other examples aside from the Royal Barge have been identified.

The carving of the Royal Barge was carried out by John Boson who worked frequently for the Prince of Wales and is the probable carver of this mirror. According to the V&A, he executed Kent's designs at Chiswick House, London, for Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington, and at Kew Palace, Surrey, for the Prince of Wales. A bill survives to show that in 1733-1734 that Boson provided the Prince of Wales with another mirror: 'A Rich Tabernacle' mirror for the drawing room at Kew. It cost £8 and the bill describes it as having a frieze of carved flowers, festoons at the sides, a shell on the pediment and foliage at the base (see: V&A, W.86-1911). While it is typically the name of Benjamin Goodison, rather than Boson, that gets most closely associated 'Kentian' furniture, this is probably due to John Boson's premature death in 1743 that he has not received the credit he perhaps deserves.