A George II walnut and parcel gilt mirror

Footnotes

Provenance:
The Right Hon May Elizabeth Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 11th Lady Kinloss (1852-1944) and thence by descent to her son:
The Hon Robert William Morgan-Grenville (1892-1988) and thence by direct descent to the vendor.

Please note that Lot 149 is also from the collection of 11th Lady Kinloss.

The above was almost certainly removed from Stowe House, Buckinghamshire by Lady Kinloss on her departure from the house in 1921 when she moved to Moreton Lodge, Maids Moreton, Buckinghamshire. Robert Morgan-Grenville was born and raised at Stowe.

A related mirror of simplified form is illustrated from the collection of Lord Plender, G.B.E in R.Symonds, Masterpieces of English Furniture and Clocks, London, 1940, p.60, pl.37.

There were four major stages to the development of Stowe. The North Facade (1677-1683 was the work of William Cleare who was commissioned by Sir Richard Temple, 3rd Baronet (1634-1687). The Ionic portico and rebuilding of the north, east and west fronts was undertaken by John Vanburgh (1669-1726) under the instruction of Viscount Cobham (1669-1749) and later by William Kent (1685-1748) after Vanburgh's death. In the 1770s Earl Temple commissioned Robert Adam (1728-1792) to produce a new design for the South front which was later adapted by Thomas Pitt (1737-1793) and Giovanni Battista Borra (1713-1770) and completed in 1779 and the interiors of the remodelled state apartments was completed in 1788 with much of the interior work being undertaken by the Italian Vincenzo Valdrè (1742-1814). By 1845, the second Duke had accrued debts in excess of £1.4 million partially due to his love of furniture and art and in 1848 the contents of Stowe House were sold by Christie's in a sale that stretched from 15th August to 7th October and came to be known as 'the Sale of the Century' which raised £75,000 towards the debt and the house was then closed up. The 3rd Duke did much to restore the fortunes of the estate but his premature death without an heir in 1889 meant that the house was once again closed up. Lady Kinloss was twice unsuccessful in her attempts to sell the estate in the late 19th century. The death of her eldest son in World War I, the crippling death duties faced by her second son and the pension due to her stepmother meant that the house was once again put on the market. In 1921 another part contents sale was held (July 4-8, 11-15, 18-22, 25-28 1921) and the house was sold the following year to a property developer.