66 of 240 lots
66
A George III \'Lac Bergaute\' and Black and Gilt-Japanned Secrétaire Cabinet-on-Stand
Estimate: $15,000-$25,000
Sold
$12,000
Live Auction
Property from the Fred and Kay Krehbiel Collection, Part I
Location
Chicago
Description

A George III 'Lac Bergaute' and Black and Gilt-Japanned Secrétaire Cabinet-on-Stand

Circa 1765, Incorporating 17th Century Chinese Lacquer Panels

Height overall 61 x width 26 x depth 18 1/4 inches.

This lot is located in Chicago.

Condition

Overall well-conserved, original condition. The writing surface slightly bowed. The decoration throughouot is vivid and largely intact. Part of the upper section's gallery and one of its decorative fretwork brackets at the front need minimal repair after minor damage sustained in moving. One drawer bottom with a pencil inscribed inventory number 2,2,3,4,56. 

Condition reports are available upon request. All lots are sold “as is,” in the condition they are in at the time of the auction. The physical condition of lots can vary due to age, normal wear and tear, previous damage, and restoration. Prospective buyers are strongly advised to inspect a lot personally or through a knowledgeable representative prior to bidding. The absence of any reference to the condition of a lot does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections, or the effects of aging. Prospective buyers must review and agree to the Conditions of Sale before participating in an auction, and it is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that they have requested, received and considered any condition report.

Provenance

Provenance:
Sir Phillip Sassoon, Bt., Trent Park, Hertfordshire, recorded in Sir Philip's bedroom in 1939;
Christie's, London, Works of Art from Collections of The Cholmondeley Family and the Late Sir Philip Sassoon, Bt. from Houghton, 8 December 1994, Lot 117 (with catalog)
James Hepworth, London, 5 June 1996 (with copy invoice)

Literature:
C. Hussey, "Japanned Furniture at Trent Park," Country Life, 18 October 1930, p. 498, fig. 4
P. Macquoid and R. Edwards, The Dictionary of English Furniture, London, rev. ed., 1954, Vol. I, p. 85, fig. 43
R. Edwards, The Shorter Dictionary of English Furniture, London, 1964, p. 101, fig. 30

Note:
With its 17th century Chinese lacquer panels lushly inset with mother of pearl, this elegant secrétaire epitomizes the height of the English fascination with the East popularized by the designs in Thomas Chippendale’s The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director, 1754-1763. Their frequent combination of Chinese elements within an at times blinding array of naturalistic and Classical forms served as inspiration and a creative ideal. Elements from Chippendale’s designs, such as the fretwork seen on the legs of the present lot, depicted in China Shelves (plate CLXI) and the Chinese Cabinet (plate CXXIII) from 1761, were likely drawn upon by this as yet unknown cabinet-maker. The secrétaire's sophisticated mélange of Chinese and Western ornament, and particularly its use of lac bergaute, an incredibly rare and expensive form of Chinese lacquer, indicates it was almost certainly a specific commission by an unknown aristocratic patron similar to the 4th Duke of Badminton (1704-1759). His Chinoiserie bedroom apartment at Badminton, Gloucestershire, which was supplied by William and John Linnell in the 1750s has two related japanned china cabinets which show yet another interpretation of this all-encompassing aesthetic (H. Hayward, William and John Linnell, London, 1980, fig. 218).

The descendant of two prominent Jewish banking families, the Sassoons and the Rothschilds, politician, patron and connoisseur Sir Phillip Sassoon (1888-1939) was at home in the highest aristocratic circles. Sassoon’s aesthetic eye saw the potential of Trent Park, an unremarkable house with grounds designed by the pre-eminent 19th century landscape architect Humphry Repton (1752-1818) and hired the architect Philip Tilden (1887-1956) to transform the house into a Georgian mansion worthy of this setting. The eminent British architectural historian Christopher Hussey (1899-1970) said that Sassoon captured "that indefinable and elusive quality, the spirit of a country house... an essence of cool, flowery, chintzy, elegant, unobtrusive rooms that rises in the mind when we are thinking of country houses.” Trent Park and its grounds were documented in the 18 October 1930 issue of Country Life. After Sassoon’s death, this cabinet and other works from his collection went to Houghton, the home of his sister Sybil, Marchioness of Cholmondeley (1894-1989).

Photo Credit: Japanned Cabinet, Trent Park from Country Life, 18 October 1930: Future Publishing Ltd.