- 1525
EXCEPTIONAL CHIPPENDALE CARVED AND FIGURED MAHOGANY BONNET-TOP HIGH CHEST OF DRAWERS, CARVING ATTRIBUTED TO JOHN POLLARD, PHILADELPHIA, CIRCA 1770 |
估價
150,000 - 250,000 USD
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招標截止
描述
- Height 99 3/4 in. by Width 46 in. by Depth 23 in.
appears to retain its original cast brass hardware, finials and cartouche replaced.
來源
Mabel Brady Garvan, Roslyn, New York;
Israel Sack Inc., New York;
Private Collection;
Christie's, New York, Important American Furniture including Silver, Folk Art, Prints and Decorative Arts, Janaury 18, 1997, sale 8578, lot 221;
Alan Miller, Quakertown, Pennsylvania.
Israel Sack Inc., New York;
Private Collection;
Christie's, New York, Important American Furniture including Silver, Folk Art, Prints and Decorative Arts, Janaury 18, 1997, sale 8578, lot 221;
Alan Miller, Quakertown, Pennsylvania.
Condition
Retains original hardware; finials and cartouche replaced. Finial plinths later; rear side glue blocks later.
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.
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.
拍品資料及來源
This high chest is a monumental statement of the Rococo aesthetic in Philadelphia, where cabinetmakers excelled at integrating Rococo designs on case pieces and specialist carvers executed the most sophisticated carved decoration in the colonies. Representing the apex in carving excellence, the carved decoration on this high chest is attributed to the acclaimed craftsman, John Pollard (1740-1787). He was likely trained in London and working in Philadelphia by December of 1765, when Benjamin Randolph (1737-1792) recorded in his receipt book a payment for Pollard’s rent. Randolph financed Pollard’s emigration and employed him by indenture. During the 1760s and early 1770s, he was the principal carver in Randolph’s shop, where he worked alongside the carver Hercules Courtenay for a time and supervised a number of apprentices and journeymen. By 1773, he established a business with Richard Butts on Chestnut Street, between Third and Fourth Streets, opposite Carpenter’s Hall.1 On February 22nd of that year, the Pennsylvania Gazette reported that Pollard and Butts could provide “all manner of carving” at the Sign of the Chinese Shield.”2
While working for Randolph, Pollard executed carving on a set of commode seat side chairs and a pier table commissioned by John Cadwalader (1742-1786) in circa 1769.3 He appears to have executed some of the architectural carving for the parlors of the Stamper-Blackwell house in Philadelphia and the Thomas Ringgold house in Chestertown, Maryland.4 He is also responsible for the carving on a suite of furniture made for David Deshler, a set of chairs made for Charles Thomson, including an armchair offered as lot 2162 in this sale, tea tables made for the Eyre and Biddle families and a set of seating furniture for the Wistar family.5
Pollard’s Rococo embellishments are sculptural and carefully rendered, achieving a depth with minimal use of surface veining. His highly refined vocabulary was inspired by Rococo designs illustrated in English pattern books, such as Thomas Johnson’s A New Book of Ornaments and Chippendale’s Director, both published in 1762 prior to his emigration to America. He incorporated recurring motifs into his designs, such as the distinctive acanthus-carved rosettes, flame finials, shell-carved drawers flanked by acanthus leaves, central shell of the skirt and acanthus carved knees found on this high chest. These motifs are repeated in a nearly identical manner on other high chests with carving attributed to him, including on two commissioned by Levi Hollingsworth (1739-1824). One of these is in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the other was formerly in the collection of the Chipstone Foundation.6 The same shell-carved drawers, shell skirt pendants and carved knees are exhibited on the dressing tables made en suite with the aforementioned high chests.7
The high relief C-scroll applied tympanum, shell-carved drawers and serpentine skirt relate this high chest to one with the same patterns in the Karolik Collection at the Museum of Fine, Arts, Boston with a history in the Potts family.8
Another side chair with carving attributed to Pollard with a history in the Longstreet family of Philadelphia was formerly in the collection of Mrs. J. Insley Blair.9
1 See Philadelphia: Three Centuries of American Art, Philadelphia, 1976, p. 114.
2 See Andrew Brunk, “Benjamin Randolph Revisited,” American Furniture 2007, p. 6.
3 See Leroy Graves and Luke Beckerdite, “New Insights on John Cadwalader’s Commode-Seat Side Chairs,” American Furniture 2000, fig. 3 and 5, pp. 154-5 and fig. 17, p. 159.
4 See ibid, fig.s 10, 12 and 13, pp. 157-8.
5 For a side chair from the Deshler suite, see Israel Sack Inc., American Antiques from Israel Sack Collection, Volume VI, p. 48, P3920. For another chair from the Thompson set, see Oswaldo Rodriguez Roque, American Furniture at Chipstone, Madison, 1984, cat. 63, pp. 144-5. For the tea tables, see Christie’s, The Britton Collection, January 16, 1999, sale 9068, lot 592 and Christie’s, January 18-19, 2001, lot 119. For the Wistar chairs, see Christie’s, Property from the Collection of Mrs. J. Insley Blair, January 21, 2006, sale 1618, lot 535.
6 Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1964-142-1, Gift of Mrs. W. Logan MacCoy. The high chest is illustrated in William Hornor, Blue Book Philadelphia Furniture, 1977, p. 136. The Chipstone high chest was sold Christie’s, The Important Hollingsworth Family High Chest, Dressing Table, and Chair, January 16, 1998, sale 8882, lot 501.
7 The dressing table made en suite with the Philadelphia Museum of Art high chest is in a private collection and illustrated in Hornor, pl. 136. The dressing table formerly in the collection of Chipstone was sold at the aforementioned Christie’s sale.
8 See Edwin Hipkiss, M. and M. Karolik Collection of Eighteenth-Century American Arts, Boston, 1950, no. 33, p. 58.
9 See Christie’s, Property from the Collection of Mrs. J. Insley Blair, January 21, 2006, sale 1618, lot 536.
While working for Randolph, Pollard executed carving on a set of commode seat side chairs and a pier table commissioned by John Cadwalader (1742-1786) in circa 1769.3 He appears to have executed some of the architectural carving for the parlors of the Stamper-Blackwell house in Philadelphia and the Thomas Ringgold house in Chestertown, Maryland.4 He is also responsible for the carving on a suite of furniture made for David Deshler, a set of chairs made for Charles Thomson, including an armchair offered as lot 2162 in this sale, tea tables made for the Eyre and Biddle families and a set of seating furniture for the Wistar family.5
Pollard’s Rococo embellishments are sculptural and carefully rendered, achieving a depth with minimal use of surface veining. His highly refined vocabulary was inspired by Rococo designs illustrated in English pattern books, such as Thomas Johnson’s A New Book of Ornaments and Chippendale’s Director, both published in 1762 prior to his emigration to America. He incorporated recurring motifs into his designs, such as the distinctive acanthus-carved rosettes, flame finials, shell-carved drawers flanked by acanthus leaves, central shell of the skirt and acanthus carved knees found on this high chest. These motifs are repeated in a nearly identical manner on other high chests with carving attributed to him, including on two commissioned by Levi Hollingsworth (1739-1824). One of these is in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the other was formerly in the collection of the Chipstone Foundation.6 The same shell-carved drawers, shell skirt pendants and carved knees are exhibited on the dressing tables made en suite with the aforementioned high chests.7
The high relief C-scroll applied tympanum, shell-carved drawers and serpentine skirt relate this high chest to one with the same patterns in the Karolik Collection at the Museum of Fine, Arts, Boston with a history in the Potts family.8
Another side chair with carving attributed to Pollard with a history in the Longstreet family of Philadelphia was formerly in the collection of Mrs. J. Insley Blair.9
1 See Philadelphia: Three Centuries of American Art, Philadelphia, 1976, p. 114.
2 See Andrew Brunk, “Benjamin Randolph Revisited,” American Furniture 2007, p. 6.
3 See Leroy Graves and Luke Beckerdite, “New Insights on John Cadwalader’s Commode-Seat Side Chairs,” American Furniture 2000, fig. 3 and 5, pp. 154-5 and fig. 17, p. 159.
4 See ibid, fig.s 10, 12 and 13, pp. 157-8.
5 For a side chair from the Deshler suite, see Israel Sack Inc., American Antiques from Israel Sack Collection, Volume VI, p. 48, P3920. For another chair from the Thompson set, see Oswaldo Rodriguez Roque, American Furniture at Chipstone, Madison, 1984, cat. 63, pp. 144-5. For the tea tables, see Christie’s, The Britton Collection, January 16, 1999, sale 9068, lot 592 and Christie’s, January 18-19, 2001, lot 119. For the Wistar chairs, see Christie’s, Property from the Collection of Mrs. J. Insley Blair, January 21, 2006, sale 1618, lot 535.
6 Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1964-142-1, Gift of Mrs. W. Logan MacCoy. The high chest is illustrated in William Hornor, Blue Book Philadelphia Furniture, 1977, p. 136. The Chipstone high chest was sold Christie’s, The Important Hollingsworth Family High Chest, Dressing Table, and Chair, January 16, 1998, sale 8882, lot 501.
7 The dressing table made en suite with the Philadelphia Museum of Art high chest is in a private collection and illustrated in Hornor, pl. 136. The dressing table formerly in the collection of Chipstone was sold at the aforementioned Christie’s sale.
8 See Edwin Hipkiss, M. and M. Karolik Collection of Eighteenth-Century American Arts, Boston, 1950, no. 33, p. 58.
9 See Christie’s, Property from the Collection of Mrs. J. Insley Blair, January 21, 2006, sale 1618, lot 536.