Oliver Cornish
Sale Coordinator for Furniture, Sculpture, Rugs & Tapestries
Lot 56TP
A George III mahogany and ebony inlaid serpentine dressing commode1770-1775, possibly by Ince and Mayhew
3 December 2025, 13:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street£3,000 - £5,000
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Thomas Moore
Head of Department
A George III mahogany and ebony inlaid serpentine dressing commode
1770-1775, possibly by Ince and Mayhew
The lattice inlaid top with projecting canted front angles and a reverse ogee moulded edge, above one mahogany lined frieze drawer with a leather inset sliding top, enclosing a central hinged adjustable ratcheted toilet mirror slide and one short secret mahogany lined drawer flanked by eight small satinwood lidded and mahogany boxed compartments, two large conforming boxed compartments, three compartments of assorted proportions and two with detachable dividers, over three long graduated oak lined drawers, on shaped bracket feet, 95cm wide x 55.5cm deep x 82cm high, (37in wide x 21 1/2in deep x 32in high)
The lattice inlaid top with projecting canted front angles and a reverse ogee moulded edge, above one mahogany lined frieze drawer with a leather inset sliding top, enclosing a central hinged adjustable ratcheted toilet mirror slide and one short secret mahogany lined drawer flanked by eight small satinwood lidded and mahogany boxed compartments, two large conforming boxed compartments, three compartments of assorted proportions and two with detachable dividers, over three long graduated oak lined drawers, on shaped bracket feet, 95cm wide x 55.5cm deep x 82cm high, (37in wide x 21 1/2in deep x 32in high)
Footnotes
Provenance
The present lot formed part of the collection of the late Sir Joseph and Lady Barnard. It was were housed in their residence at East Harlsey Hall, Northallerton, in North Yorkshire, which was until recent years the family residence of the Barnards.
The mahogany timber used for the offered commode appears to be of very fine quality, whilst the ebony inlaid lattice pattern to its top is impressively executed. These two elements combined with the exceptional level of construction employed in its creation, as evidenced primarily through the use of extremely neat dovetails and immaculate drawer linings, strongly suggests that the present commode was made by one of the leading English cabinet makers operating during the period, 1770-1775.
Consistent with such characteristics, this piece was almost certainly produced by a firm based in London at this time. Among the most prominent figures flourishing at this elevated level were William Ince and John Mayhew, whose business partnership was active between 1759 and 1804. Much of the carcass furniture executed by Ince and Mayhew, including the current serpentine dressing chest, incorporates ebonised mouldings which tend to serve as distinctive framing devices, whether utilised on drawers, doors, panels or edges.
Four examples of mahogany commodes produced by the firm of Ince and Mayhew, all dating to the period 1770-1780, which have the same or similar types of ebonised mouldings to those on the offered model, appear illustrated in H. Roberts and C. Cator, Industry and Ingenuity, The Partnership of William Ince and John Mayhew, 2022, London and Dublin, fig.'s 210-214, pp.'s 325-326.