A pair of George III rosewood, tulipwood and marquetry commodes circa 1775, attributed to Mayhew and Ince

the D-shaped tops with central rosette within interlaced bell flower garlands with a crossbanded and pearled edge, with two faux fluted frieze drawers and bowed cupboard doors, each inlaid with ribbon tied bell flower surrounded rosettes, enclosing four short and one long drawers

Almost certainly supplied to George, then Marquess of Blandford and later 5th Duke of Marlborough (d.1840);
Sold by the 5th Duke of Marlborough in a house sale at Whiteknights, Reading, October 1819;
Purchased at that sale by Sir Henry Russell, Bt. (d.1852), Swallow Field Park, Berkshire;
Thence by descent in the Russell family until sold anonymously, Christie's, London, 25th May 1972, lot 89;
Jeremy Cotton Esq., Tythrop Park, Buckinghamshire until sold, Christie's, London, 27th April 1995, lot 36.

The Journal of the Furniture History Society, 1994, Hugh Roberts, `Nicely Fitted Up', Furniture for the 4th Duke of Marlborough, illustrated p.139. 
Comparative Literature
A commode of almost identical form to the present lot is illustated in Chrisptopher Claxton Stevens & Stewart Whittington, 18th Century English Furniture, The Norman Adams Collection, 1999, p.398.

Overall in very good cleaned and restored condition. Minor repairs to crossbanded edge, the engraving refreshed. The doors with some undulation but not cracked. One slightly faded to the ends of one and rippling of veneers. The plinth feet with losses as visible int he catalogue photograph and a small loss to bottom moulding of one. Detailed photographs available on request +44 (0)207 293 6441.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

George Spencer-Churchill, fifth Duke of Marlborough ( 1766-1840), polititian and major collector, principally of books, was born George Spencer on 6th March 1766, taking the additional name of Churchill by royal licence in May 1817. He was Member of Parliament for Oxfordshire from 1790 to 1796 and for Tregony from 1802 to 1804, and during the second ministry of William Pitt the younger, was Lord of the Treasury. In 1806 he was summoned to the House of Lords through a writ of acceleration in his father`s barony of Spencer of Wormleighton. From 1798, he resided at Whiteknights Park at Earley, near Reading where he became famous for his extravagant collecting. He paid in 1812, the then fantastic sum of  £2260 for Valdarfer`s edition of Decameron at the Duke of Roxburghe`s sale and in 1815, bought much of the library of James Edwards, the celebrated Bedford missal. Sadly his extravagance was to lead to bankruptcy and his collections were seized and his collection, including the present commodes, was sold in 1819. He retired to Blenheim, where he lived on a small annuity granted to the 1st Duke of Marlborough, by Queen Anne.

Although no documentary evidence is known to exist to link the present commodes to the firm, they have long been attributed to the firm of Mayhew and Ince on stylistic grounds and through that firm`s known association with 4th Duke, father of the 5th Duke, and one of the firm`s most important clients, (see Journal of the Furniture History Society, 1994, Hugh Roberts, op. cit., pp.117-149).

The firm of John Mayhew ( 1736-1811) and William Ince (d.1804) was one of the most successful and enduring partnerships of cabinet-makers in the 18^th century. They are first recorded as partners in December 1758, advertising from an address at Broad Street in January 1759. Earlier Mayhew had been apprenticed to William Bradshaw, and Ince to John West, before forming a brief partnership after West`s death in 1758 with Samuel Norman and James Whittle. In 1763 they were described as `cabinet-makers, carvers and upholders’, and in 1778 `manufacturers of plate glass’ appeared on their bill heading. From 1780s the categories of `cabinet maker’ and upholsterer predominate, reflecting the change in taste from carved to veneered and inlaid furniture, which was more fashionable. One of their early ventures was to publish The Universal System of Household Furniture in 1762 which included eighty-nine numbered plates and six smaller ones dedicated to 4^th Duke of Marlborough. The relative failure of this work, which was issued in only one edition, was probably caused by the distinctly Rococo manner of the designs which was to become rapidly unfashionable in the next few years due to the rise of the neo classical taste reflected in the present commodes. The partnership was quick to embrace these new forms as is shown by their own work and their involvement with Robert Adam himself in making furniture to his own designs for many of his important clients. Mayhew and Ince worked for many important patrons who included the Prince of Wales, 5^th Duke of Devonshire, 5^th Duke of Bedford and 1^stDuke of Northumberland.

 Particularly striking in the design of the present commodes are the distinctive oval medallions, trailing husk motifs and fluting on the frieze which are all motifs which reflect the George III Roman fashion promoted by such architects as Robert Adam ( d.1792) and James Wyatt ( d.1813).This fluting also appears on a pair of commodes similarly attributed to Mayhew and Ince, sold Christie`s London 10th April 2003, which was attributed on the basis of other inlaid elements seen in these examples, also seen on other pieces known to be by the firm. The sparing use of inlay seen on these commodes is also seen with the present lot. The distinctive form of the husk inlay on the top of the present commodes is also of almost identical form to another commode also attributed to the firm, sold Christies London, 30th November 2000, lot 130.. This commode which contains inlaid elements known to have been used by the firm also has an inlaid frieze similar to the present examples and is also of a similar distinctive shape. The distinctive oval medallions on both doors derive from an engraving of the Sun God Apollo`s temple that was illustrated in Robert Wood`s Ruins of the Temple of Palmyra, 1753 can also be seen on the doors of a bookcase, attributed to the firm with a tentative provenance of Warren Hastings at Daylesford House, Gloucestershire, offered by Christie`s London, Important English Furniture 9th June 2009, lot 219. The commission of the firm for Warren Hastings was one of the firm`s larger commissions and it would seem entirely likely that this cabinet was made by the firm and further supports the present attribution.