An important George III satinwood-crossbanded mahogany serpentine dressing-commode attributed to Thomas Chippendale Circa 1770

the satinwood-crossbanded top with thumbmolded edge and outset rounded front and back corners, the case fitted with three graduated crossbanded drawers, the uppermost  mahogany-lined drawer with gilt-tooled leather panel sliding to a compartmentalized interior fitted with a hinged dressing mirror on a easel support and flanked by lidded compartments with brass ring handles, all over two drawers, the apron formed from the bottom drawer, the keeled sides with elaborately carved volutes above acanthus leaves and pendent husks, the sides carved with scrolls, continuing to molded legs and ending in inscrolled feet, the back stiles similarly carved; the brass bail handles with circular backplates.

Beautiful quality; lustrous mahogany and satinwood crossbandings; now with a glossy finish; the top with slight rippling and with old marks and scratches with small inpainted scratches to center and to left corner; slight lifting and separation to veneers of crossbanding; Very good restored condition; age cracks to thumb molded edge; the top drawer with tearing to veneers of left side and with replacement to crossbanding of bottom, minor inpainting; age crack to right side of drawer front above left back plat of right bail handle and extending to right edge of drawer; perishing to varnish behind left back plate of left bail handle; second drawer with replaced section to veneer of crossbanding to top edge right of the center of the drawer with some inpainting approximately 3 inches in length; small replacement to crossbanding of bottom left corner; bottom drawer with age cracks to right side along lines of construction; minor replacements to veneers of crossbanding; perishing to varnish of feet with scuffs especially to left foot and to sides of feet; overall with some old marks and scratches.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The exceptional quality of this dressing commode, with its richly patterned mahogany veneers, detailed carving and distinctive gilt-brass handles but especially its form, which is serpentine in all of its profiles, clearly warrants an attribution to Thomas Chippendale.  Superbly constructed of exceptional mahogany veneers and solid timbers on the exterior, finely grained mahogany, oak and simple pine are used in the interior.  The more refined and restrained characteristics of the Kluge commode are more commonly found in the neo-Classical designs of Robert Adam in the 1770s.  In form and detail it is very similar to 'a distinguished pair of serpentine mahogany commodes' (Christopher Gilbert, The Life and Work of Thomas Chippendale, New York, Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1978, vol. II, p. 127, pl. 226) almost certainly supplied by Chippendale to Daniel Lascelles for Goldsborough Hall, Yorkshire, circa 1771-1776.  The brother of Edwin Lascelles of Harewood House, one of Chippendale's major patrons, much of his furniture was subsequently moved to Harewood and 'although elegant, was less obviously rich' (Gilbert, op. cit.) than his brother's ostentatious furnishings of that house. Gilbert further discusses the probability of Chippendale's authorship: 'Although it would be impossible fully to unravel the two collections, it is possible with a fair degree of confidence to provenance ten or so pieces – besides the dining-room furniture – to Goldsborough, the most distinguished being a pair of serpentine mahogany commodes.'

A serpentine commode from Ham Court is again very similar to the Goldsborough and Kluge commodes. This commode, now in an English private collection, has, fortunately, retained its provenance from Ham Court and can be confirmed as the work of Chippendale both stylistically and its manner of construction. It also retains its original gilt brass pulls which are similar to the present commode.  Chippendale supplied furniture to John Martin for Ham Court, Upton-on-Severn, Worcestershire, including a library table in either 1773 or 1775 that was sold in these rooms, HSBC's Corporate Art Collection, October 21, 2004, lot 34 ($1,800,000).  As is usual with Chippendale's work, he rarely, if ever, repeated a design for his different patrons, although the overall form is almost identical to the Ham Court commode and differs in the following manner: the top is not crossbanded, the drawers are cockbeaded, the keyholes are S-shaped, a characteristic found almost exclusively in Chippendale's oeuvre, the keeled sides and back stiles with slightly different carving including oval paterae with pendant husks and outscrolled feet on pads.

The cast-brass handles are of a pattern described by Gilbert (op. cit., p. 146) as 'Chippendale's favourite early Neo Classical gilt brass loop-handle pattern.'  With slight variants to the back-plates, these are found on a number of documented pieces by him including a japanned cabinet at Nostell Priory and a chest of drawers at Wilton House.  They are also almost identical to the handles found on the Martin library table and on a library table attributed to Chippendale, also sold in the HSBC sale, lot 31.