A pair of high-relief carved ebony cabinets-on-stands, possibly Coromandel Coast or Batavia, circa 1680-1720

each in two sections, with ten rosewood lined interior drawers and a single frieze drawer to the stand, each base with a label printed 'Cholmondeley' and the drawers chalked the same

According to family tradition acquired by William Beckford for Fonthill, Wiltshire;
almost certainly acquired by Richard Heber (1774-1833), but not necessarily from the above;
thence, probably, by descent to his half-sister Mary Cholmondeley (1787-1846);
thence by descent to Reginald Cholmondeley (1826-1896) of Condover Hall, Shropshire;
thence by descent within that family. A family Will from the February of 1922 refers to an ebony table acquired by Richard Heber in 1823 at the great auction of William Beckford's collection from Fonthill, this solid ebony table, which relates to the cabinets in design and origin, is still with the family. There was indeed a quantity of similar ebony furniture in Beckford's collection and asides from the auction catalogue, this is attested to by watercolours and prints showing the interior of Beckford's gothic folly. Sadly, there is no catalogue entry for the offered pair in the 1823 sale or an earlier sale from 1801. Interestingly Heber, a fascinating character in his own right, was known to have attended the Fonthill sales in 1823. Most probably to buy books, as like William Beckford he was a keen bibliophile. On his death his sole executrix, Mrs Cholmondeley, received a life interest in all his estate, valued at £200,000. His enormous library filled eight houses in England and Europe and was sold in London, Paris and Ghent between 1834-7. His ownership of the offered cabinets makes sense as similar pieces of furniture appear in other important collections and notably those of other book collectors such as Horace Walpole and of course William Beckford. Heber was a worldly man of great wealth and possibly like Beckford and Walpole a collector of this rich and exuberant furniture. It seems highly likely that the present lot may well have been his and passed to his sister Mary Cholmondeley.

These beautifully carved cabinets are of superior quality and generally in very original condition. The high relief carved surface with some ingrained dirt and would benefit from a gentle clean according to taste. Generally some detached mouldings have been re-attached and some of these ripple mouldings with cracks, losses (notably to the rear top left corner of one) and lifting. There are age cracks and localised areas of filler to these splits - entirely as to be expected. These splits are seen on panels and on the base of each. The drawers are sticky in places and the doors of one slightly warped meaning they don't close flush. One drawer with detached handle which is crudely fixed in place with string. Locks probably replaced. The stands are stable but have some movement due to weight of the carved ebony. A number of later baton supports to the carcass have become unglued and could be easily re-attached adding further support. The stretchers of each with later batons to underside for further support. Bun feet with repaired breaks and splits. Overall with very minor losses, old marks and scratches consistent with age and use which do not detract. A rare and attractive pair of cabinets.
"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."

To find two of these important cabinets conceived as a pair is exceptional. There are rare extant single examples in museums but no known pairs. They represent an early fusion of East meets West, in the most spectacular fashion, a mix of Dutch form and function with sublime Asian design and craftsmanship. The variants to the carved detail between this pair of cabinets and the single cabinet, (lot 128) which is also in this sale, is fascinating. Jan Veenendaal discusses these surfaces in his seminal text Furniture from Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India, Delft, 1985. He identifies two distinct periods relating to carved detail and references a number of examples to support this categorisation. Lot 128 features low-relief carving which Jan Veenendaal dates to within 1650-1680 and he gives the high relief carving in the present lot to between 1680-1720.

This later 17^th and early 18^th century carving features almost three dimensional large ‘sculpted’ flower heads and tendrils, compare with the shallower foliate motifs on the single earlier cabinet. A 1690 inventory prepared for Cornelia Linis widow of Jacobus Vermeer by the notary Fredrik Michault in Batavia, details amongst other ebony pieces, 'twelve high kaliatur [ebony from India or Sri Lanka] wood chairs with large flowers’ (see Jan Veenendaal, op. cit., p.151). He draws parallels with the decorative foliate borders on dated late 17^th century gravestones, from the Coromandel Coast, which feature similar motifs seen on these pieces (op. cit. p.52 and Jaffer, op. cit., p.134). The fact that there is no pre-1680 provenance for furniture in Britain which features bold foliate motifs and this thicker, deeper carving seems to support Jan Veenendaals assertion that these cabinets are after that date and fall into the late 17^th/early 18^th century period.

For direct comparison see a similar cabinet of the same form and dated to this period, in the Rijksmuseum which could possibly be from the same workshop (inventory number BK-1968-48). Illustrated Jan van Van Campen, Asian splendour: Company Art in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, 2011, no.33, p.55 and illustrated here as fig. 1.