AN IMPORTANT GEORGE III CREAM-PAINTED ARCHITECTURAL LIBRARY BREAKFRONT BOOKCASE CIRCA 1760, THE DESIGN ATTRIBUTED TO JOHN VARDY, THE CARVING ATTRIBUTED TO THOMAS VARDY

the upper section with a scrolled pediment decorated with foliate and egg-and-dart carving, issuing swagged garlands of fruit and flowers, over four wire grille doors divided by acanthus-corbel capped panelled pilasters enclosing adjustable shelves, with lower egg-and-dart mouldings and a Vitruvian-scrolled frieze over plain doors enclosing further shelves on a conformingly carved plinth base, the underside of the bookcase inscribed:



The Honble. T Orde Powlett
Bolton Hall
Leyburn
Yorkshire
By a Stockton Vessel to Stockton by Sea
To be forwarded from Stockton
To Bolton Hall by the Leyburn Carrier
July 16^{th 1816.....To be kept very dry.}



The decoration refreshed and the wire grilles replaced, sold with the marble bust as illustrated.

Supplied to Charles Powlett, 5^th Duke of Bolton (1718-1765) for Hackwood Park, Hampshire as part of the furnishings of the library under John  Vardy.

Thence by descent to his brother, Harry Powlett, 6^th Duke of Bolton and in turn to his niece, Jean Browne-Powlett, natural daughter of the 5^th Duke, who inherited Hackwood Park and Bolton Castle as part of the family estates.

Thence by descent to her second son, The Hon. Thomas Orde Powlett.

Good overall condition. Floral swags to pediment detached and with a break. Chicken-wire replaced. The painted decoration is largely refreshed having been dry-stripped. Some minor wear to painted finish. Restoration to plinth incorporating reinforcement to the carcass . Minor cuts to waist mouldings above Vitruvian scroll carved border at the back edge of each side. This is suggestive of where the mouldings have been once partially removed to accommodate the profile of an architectural feature – probably a dado rail – and since been reinstated. Possible restoration to cornice at the sides which is only visible when the interior of the pediment is inspected with a torch shining in the apertures in the backboards. Possible replacements to the shelves. Minor age cracks to doors of lower section.
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.

HACKWOOD PARK

Hackwood Park, Hampshire has evolved through various stages.  The Hackwood estate originally came into the Paulet family (created Marquesses of Winchester under the reign of Edward VI) in the 15^th century due to marriage to an heiress, Constance Poynings. Following the destruction of his seat, Basing House,  in 1645 during the English Civil war,  the 6^th Marquess of Winchester, (later 1^st Duke of Bolton, cr. 1689), started to build what was to become the present house, in the late 17^th century. In fact at this time he started to build two houses, a principal house being at Abbotstone and a lesser house at Hackwood.  William Talman is believed to have been the architect at Abbotstone and therefore plausibly could well have been involved at Hackwood too.  The 6^th Marquess had also by this stage built a further house at Bolton Castle in Wensleydale with fine interiors in the style of Winde, on an estate inherited by his second wife.

Hackwood was partially re-modelled by James Gibbs for the 3^rd Duke of Bolton but more substantial changes were brought about by  1^st Duke's great great grandson, 5^th Duke of Bolton. Towards the mid 18^th century, he engaged John Vardy to carry out improvements. Vardy's works were deemed necessary because in 1744 the house was recorded as 'greatly out of repair as also the goods...not fit for use'.  Vardy designed a new central hall and bedroom floor over the saloon. Low connecting links of three bays were added outside the 17^th century house with pedimented pavilions at each end, a motif still reflected today for the major rooms. Abbotstone was demolished at around the time of these alterations and panelling was brought from there together with some finely carved lime-wood panels bearing the traditional ascription to Grinling Gibbons. Vardy designed appropriate furniture for these new rooms, producing designs for a 'sopha for the inside of the Alcove in the drawing room at Hackwood', an organ case, gilt mirrors and a bookcase. Vardy's brother Thomas was a skilled wood carver and it is possible that he assisted with these alterations and re-furbishings. Thus Hackwood came to possess in the saloon and in the former drawing room to its west and other rooms, furnishings and decorations which were to an extent integrated.

The 5^th Duke died unexpectedly and no significant changes were made to the house until the early 19^th century when the house passed by the family descent of his wife, to Thomas Orde who took the family name, now spelt  Powlett, of his wife, and was subsequently created 1^st Lord Bolton in 1797.

The 1st Lord Bolton decided to modernise the house and in 1805 appointed the 68 year old Samuel Wyatt to the task.  The house was nearly doubled in depth by the addition on the north of an entrance hall alongside the saloon with a map room on either side opening onto an existing library. At the same time Vardy`s low wings of small rooms were gutted to make a big bow-ended ballroom and dining room facing south. No interiors by Samuel Bolton were completed.

The 2^nd Lord Bolton engaged Samuel Wyatt's nephew, Lewis Wyatt  to continue the re-modelling  and  left the exterior largely according to plan. Lord Bolton's marriage to an heiress, Mary, daughter of Lord Dorchester  was probably the impetus for the change in style from elegant neo-classical/Greek designs to designs dating from 1680s in what must have been one of the earliest 17^th century revival interiors of the 19^th century. The starting point of this being the 17^th century carvings in the house then suddenly being the height of fashion.

To further enhance these new interiors, new furniture was required and the distinguished firm of G and R Gillow was engaged as suppliers of furniture. In 1813 they agreed to furnish the dining room with tables and chairs for 30, the libraries with a rosewood table inlaid with Buhl, the study with oak furniture and the saloon with '4 handsome mahogany tables to place before the sofas... the form of the tables to correspond with the old furniture for the Saloon; as well as crimson curtains'.

Of these alterations and additions, the North Library was a new room but the south library was a survivor of Vardy`s house which was then completely re-plastered in Wyatt`s late 17^th century style.  As part of this re-furbishment one of Vardy`s original bookcases was retained at Hackwood, however it was significantly altered under Wyatt's instruction in an early 18<sup>th</sup> century Baroque style ( see Christie`s sale of the contents Hackwood Park 20,21, 22 April 1998, lot 147) It was around this time  that the bookcase catalogued herewith was sent to Bolton Hall which was then the residence of The Hon. Thomas Orde Powlett, younger brother of the 2^nd Lord Bolton.

It would therefore appear that although the Orde Powlett's decided to engaged Wyatt to update the Library at Hackwood, they also realised that the earlier bookcase designed by Vardy was of sufficient importance  as to warrant its preservation.

Consequently Thomas Powlett oversaw the removal of  the bookcase from Hackwood Park to Bolton Hall. The piece had to be sent overland to Portsmouth from where it was shipped to Stockton on the north east coast of England. It was then collected by a carrier sent from Leyburn, this being the nearest town of any size to Bolton Hall. Family archives relating to the Orde Powlett`s held in the Hampshire County Record Office contain bills dated December 1815. Amongst other expenses between Lewis Wyatt and the 2^nd Lord Bolton they list the following wing:

Ref 11M49/373 Hampshire County Record Office

Making packing cases for library doors and packing Do
Paid carriage of case to Hambro Wharf and Wharphage Do £5-1-2
Making packing cases for South Library Bookcases and packing Do
Paid carriage of cases to Hambro Warf and Wharfage Do £12-2-0/4
Making packing cases for bookcase shelves and packing Do
Paid carriage of cases to Hambro Warf and Wharfage Do

Written on the underside of the present bookcase is the following:

The Honourable T Orde Powlett
Bolton Hall
Leyburn
Yorkshire
By a Stockton Vessel to Stockton bt Sea
To be forwarded from Stockton
To Bolton Hall by the Leyburn Carrier
July 16^th 1816... To be kept very dry.

After the death of 2^nd Lord Bolton in 1850, his nephew and heir 3^rd Lord Bolton moved to Yorkshire, preferring the northern estates to those in the south. No more significant alterations were made to Hackwood and it was eventually sold  to the Camrose family with many of the original contents in 1935.

JOHN AND THOMAS VARDY

John Vardy (1718-1765), disciple of Palladio and his English promoters Inigo Jones and latterly William Kent, Vardy succeeded his master, Kent, in prominent roles in the Office of Works and Clerk of Works at Greenwich Hospital, and the London Palaces of Hampton Court, St. James's, Whitehall and Kensington. Vardy was instrumental in the promotion of the Palladian taste, publishing in 1744 Some Designs of Mr Inigo Jones and Mr William Kent. Arguably his greatest commission was Spencer House in St. James's for John, 1^st Earl Spencer between 1757 and 1765 under the direction of Colonel George Grey, a founder member of the Society of Dilettanti, which included the celebrated Palm Room, the best preserved of Vardy's interiors at Spencer House. It owes its conception to a design for Charles II's bedroom at Greenwich which Vardy had published in 1744 erroneously as by Inigo Jones rather than John Webb. Its conception can probably be dated to 1757, the year which appears on a watercolour by Vardy in the Soane Museum which shows the screen and alcove almost as they were executed. Several pieces of the original furniture from the Palm Room are now housed in major institutions including the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston – part of the Harris Masterson Collection.

John's brother Thomas (1751-88), a specialist carver had learnt his trade through an apprenticeship with James Richards, the King's Master Carver and by 1788 he was master of The Joiner's Company. John was most probably responsible for the carving of this bookcase, and indeed likely to have worked on many of John's major commissions including the furniture at Spencer House and that at Hackwood Park. Undoubtedly an accomplished craftsman, little is recorded about Thomas and there is no documentary evidence to support collaboration between him and his older brother. However, it is undeniable that the two had a close relationship, John's two sons serving apprenticeships with their uncle and Thomas being mentioned in John's will demonstrates their closeness despite lack of documentation.