A fine and rare George II giltwood picture frame in the manner of Thomas Chippendale mid-18th century

the rectangular mirror plate surmounted by a scroll cresting centering a globe flanked by chimera, the sides with draftsmen and musical trophies, the lower portion with mythical beasts centering a mask.

The present picture frame relates most closely to a design for a picture frame by Thomas Chippendale in his Director, 3rd ed. 1762, plate CLXXXVI. Its winged dragons to the top corners and large trophies on either side of the frame are nearly identical. The C-scrolled base is also similar to the present frame.  Unlike Chippendale’s design, the trophies on the present frame represent the sciences and music and the cresting is centered by a globe.  It is possible that these were attributes of the sitter who could have been a man of science, music and geography.  The recumbent lions to base of the mirror as well as the dragons may have related to the heraldry of the sitter.

This frame also relates to the work of the carver and gilder Paul Petit who supplied frames for Frederick, Prince of Wales, son of George II.  Two frames with the portraits of The Prince and Princess of Wales are now at Warwick Castle and another portrait of the Prince of Wales by Thomas Hudson is at Trinity College, Dublin.  Petit is listed in the Prince of Wales’s accounts from 1732 and continued to supply frames until the Prince’s death in 1751.  These frames include trophies and attributes which are specific to the sitter such as heraldic devices and allegorical trophies and objects.  (See D. Buttery, ‘The Picture Frames of Paul Petit, and Frederick, Prince of Wales’, Apollo, July 1987).  Another frame attributed to Paul Petit sold at Christie’s, Ven House Sale, June 21-22, 1999, lot 468.