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AN EXCEPTIONALLY FINE PAIR OF MAHOGANY EBONY AND GILT BRONZE MOUNTED BOOKCASES IN THE GREEK TASTE BY ROBERT HERRING & SON TO THE DESIGNS OF MARSH AND TATHAM
THE GLAZED UPPER SECTIONS WITH SHELVED INTERIORS ARE FLANKED WITH FAUX BRONZE THRYSI THAT APPEAR TO PASS BEHIND RIBBONED LAURELS AND THROUGH THE MAHOGANY AND SIMULATED BRONZE CORNICE TO TERMINATE IN A PAIR OF PINE CONE FINIALS. THE LOWER SECTIONS WITH PATINATED BRONZE ACANTHUS MOUNTS OVER GLAZED AND SILK BACKED CUPBOARD DOORS THE WHOLE STANDING ON STRAINING LION PAW FEET AND A PLINTH BASES
English, circa 1810
Dimensions: 85” (216 cm) high
46” (117 cm) wide
17¾” (45 cm) deep
The chief exponents of this restrained Greek revival style were Thomas Hope and Marsh & Tatham, whose designs significantly influenced this piece. These bookcases, which epitomises the symbolic and mythological style of architecture promoted by the connoisseur Thomas Hope, derives from a number of similar examples; one designed by Hope in 1801, for his house at Duchess Street and the other examples that were made for George IV’s London residence, Carlton House, the later being made by Marsh and Tatham themselves.
Hope’s cabinet was intended for the display of Greek vases decorated with bacchanalian scenes. Flanked by paired ‘herm’ pilasters surmounted by Grecian heads of the youthful Dionysus, his cabinet bears less influence on the offered pair than those now at Windsor Castle. The Windsor Castle bookcases differ vastly between each other and the pair offered here, however there are certain stylistic elements that are identical and furthermore, can be compared in their basic design.
The most obvious similarities are with (Marsh and Tatham’s account number 1391) a pair of mahogany, gilt-bronze and marble breakfront bookcases made for the King’s bedroom and supplied in June 1806 at a cost of £175 18s. Here we find the inset bronze moulding sandwiched within the cornice, the highly figurative cast acanthus capitals to the columns and most obviously the exact same ribbon-tied wreath motifs to the frieze and cornice. These gilt castings can be attributed to the London-based French bronze founder, Alexis de Caix, who served as bronze manufacturer to the Prince of Wales and whose work was praised by Hope. Another example of identical bronze work, also attributable to de Caix, is found on a second bookcase in the Royal collection (Marsh and Tatham’s account number 996). This piece is of a more accomplished, restrained and better conceived design; it probably avoided the embellishments carried out by Morel and Seddon in the early 1820’s. Here we find, to the centre of the base frieze, bronze casting in the form of a paterae contained within an acanthus mounted diamond motif, the same
Robert Herring & Son traded out of Fleet Street between 1769 and 1839. Named in Sheraton’s list of Master Cabinet Makers in 1803, there are few pieces that can be specifically attributed to them through signatures, as this piece is, or trade labels, as can be seen in the splendid bookcase shown alongside this pair.
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