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Lot 1054 - A174 Furniture, Porcelain & Decoration - Thursday, 17. September 2015, 10.00 AM

LARGE COMMODE "A PORTES",

George III, England, ca. 1780/85.
Mahogany, satinwood, burlwood and stained precious woods, exquisitely inlaid with stylised flowers, medallions, fillets, foliage and decorative frieze. Curved body with protruding top. Convex front with double–door. The inside with 4 drawers of different sizes. Swan neck handles. 150x70x93 cm.

Provenance:
– formerly in the Collection of the Earl of Carnarvon, Highclere Castle, Berkshire.
– Hotspur Antiques, London.
– from a Swiss private collection, acquired in 1988 at the above address.

Highclere Castle is located about six kilometers south of Newbury (County Hampshire), a Renaissance style manor. The original castle was located on the lands of the Bishop of Winchester. Since 1692, the castle belonged to the English–Welsh family Herbert. At the time, the castle was simply a rectangular building set in an estate of over 400 hectares. The sons of the eighth Earl of Pembroke inherited the castle, began an important collection of paintings, and constructed a Neoclassical temple in the gardens. Their nephew and successor, Henry Herbert, was the first Baron Porchester and later the first Earl of Carnarvon. In recent years, Highclere Castle has become well–known worldwide as the location for films and television series, including Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut," and most famously, "Downtown Abbey."
The form as well as the construction of this chest allow no doubt as to its English provenance. The fine floral marquetry is particularly interesting as an example of the influence of French eighteenth–century court furniture on English furniture at this time. The present chest can be compared to works by Pierre Langlois (active from 1759–1781), who enjoyed an excellent reputation in his lifetime for luxury furniture in the "gout français." A similar pair of chests were conserved in the Safra Collection, and sold at Sotheby's New York on 4 December 2005 (cat. no.507).


CHF 40 000 / 70 000 | (€ 41 240 / 72 160)

Sold for CHF 36 500 (including buyer’s premium)
All information is subject to change.