Bonhams 1793 : A pair of late George II carved giltwood console tables with pier mirrors en-suite

13 Jun 2012 14:00 BST London, New Bond Street
Fine English Furniture and Works of Art
Back to auction 20013

A pair of late George II carved giltwood console tables with pier mirrors en-suite

The mirrors with rounded rectangular plates within moulded column frames with intertwined foliage surmounted by pierced foliate crestings with C-scroll and rocaille decoration, the console tables with Medicis Breccia marble slabs with moulded edges and inverted corners above a C-scroll, foliate and rocaille friezes, on double C-scroll foliate carved legs terminating in scrolls on spreading acanthus scroll feet, re-gilt, both pairs originally lead white oil painted, the mirrors, 65cm wide, 165cm high (25.5" wide, 64.5" high), the consoles 66cm wide, 49cm deep, 75cm high (25.5" wide, 19" deep, 29.5" high).

Sold for £46,850 inc. premium

Footnotes

Provenance: Lord Camoys D.L formerly in the drawing room at Stonor Park, Oxfordshire and sold Phillips contents sale, 28th, 29th January 1976, lot 469.

Thought to have originated at Hampden House, Buckinghamshire and later moved to Stonor Park. In Arthur Oswald's 1952 article on Stonor Park for Country Life, (October 20, 1950, p.1284) Oswald writes:

'An inventory of furniture made in 1782 mentions under "Drawing Room" a "Pair of Noble Pier Glasses in Superb Carved and Gilt Frames". The pair of mirrors in the present drawing-room and the pier tables that go with them are worthy successors; they are believed to have come from Hampden House.'

From the 1890's to the 1960's Stonor Park suffered severe agricultural difficulties and a large part of the surrounding estate was sold. In turn the house and park went up for sale in 1976 where the above lot was purchased by the current vendor.

Hampden House, Buckinghamshire, was originally built in 1350 by John Hampden II, thereafter it was extensively extended, remodelled and redecorated many times.

In 1824 the 5th Earl of Buckinghamshire inherited Hampden House, from the heirless Hampden family, adding Hampden to the end of his name to become George Robert Hobart-Hampden. He lived more often at Blickling in Norfolk and even put Hampden up for sale in 1847.

At the end of the First World War the house was redecorated, which included dismantling and fitting a 15th century great hall into the hall. However the luxurious country house life which this new Hampden was rebuilt for only lasted until 1939 when a it was leased to become a girl's boarding school, the contents were sold in a house contents sale held by Curtis & Henson, 17 April 1939. The school closed in 1978, the interiors having suffered greatly during their tenure. From 1978-82 it was then leased to the film makers, Hammer Films and from 1986-1989 Hampden was saved by an insurance group who extensively renovated and restored Hampden to its former glory.

It is not clear how or why the above lot went to Stonor Park, it appears that they were purchased to replace another pair of mirrors which were original to the house and which were sold sometime between the 1890's and the County Life article in 1950, where the above mirrors with consoles can be seen photographed. They are not obviously evident in the 1939 Hampden sale catalogue, so perhaps they left Hampden prior to 1939.