Y A LATE GEORGE III SATINWOOD, INDIAN ROSEWOOD AND BRONZED D-SHAPED SIDE CABINET, CIRCA 1800

Y A LATE GEORGE III SATINWOOD, INDIAN ROSEWOOD AND BRONZED D-SHAPED SIDE CABINETCIRCA 1800With a pair of brass wire grill doors and similar sides, the reverse sides on the doors satinwood veneered, the frieze with finely detailed bronzed palmettes and anthemion, enclosing two mahogany edged satinwood shelves, mahogany back boards91cm high, 101cm wide, 47cm deepThis highly sophisticated display cabinet, veneered inexpensive and fashionable imported hardwoods and mounted with a contrastingfaux bronze, neoclassical frieze, was intended to display a collection ofprecious objects, given the depth of vision enabled by the curved sides and theextravagant use of exotic timbers for the interior. The shelves and inner doorframes are veneered in satinwood and the backboard is of richly figuredmahogany, inviting close inspection of the contents.Several idiosyncratic design details provide a plausible clue to authorship,notably the Louis XVI influenced Sheraton pattern D-profile form, thecontrasting frieze, and the accomplished use of exotic timbers, all variouslyseen on furniture by Seddon & Co, one of London's leading cabinet-makersfrom the last quarter of the 18th century into the Regency. It is alsointeresting to note the firm’s use of plinth bases on cabinet furniture, ratherthan legs, evidenced by two labelled examples published by Christopher Gilbert,Pictorial Dictionary of Marked London Furniture 1700 - 1840, 1996, pages414, 415, pls. 823, 824.The frieze is clearly derived from antiquity and would have been known frompublished designs such as Charles Tatham’s Etchings, 1803, and ThomasHope’s Household Furniture and Interior Decoration, 1807, both of whichserved to disseminate and popularise such designs. In fact the pattern bears closecomparison to the frieze from the Erechtheion, the ionic temple dedicatedto Athena built on the slope of the Acropolis hill, Athens (421 – 406 BC), a fragment of which was in the collection of Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, acquired by the British Museum in 1816 (Museum no. 1816,0610.255), suggestingthat the cabinet might have been intended for the display of antiquities orarchitectural fragments.Despite a notable list of clients including the Empress of Russia, the 5th Dukeof Bedford, Lord Howard of Audley End and Lord Mansfield of Kenwood House, fewpieces survive that can definitively be associated with specific commissionsand indeed, apart from patent desks, any labelled or signed furniture by Seddonis rare before 1815.

ϒ Indicates that this lot may be subject to CITES regulations when exported. The import of lots that are subject to CITES regulations are banned in certain countries. Please check your country's import regulations before bidding. For further details on CITES regulations www.gov.uk/guidance/cites-imports-and-exports.

Condition
Good, structurally secure with minor general wear and tear. There are minor dents marks and scratches and shrinkage cracks. The wire grilles apparently original.

Buyer's Premium
33.6% up to
£25,000.00
32.4% up to
£500,000.00
31.2% above
£500,000.00