A pair of Regency 'Artificial Stone' architectural masks early 19th century, by James George Bubb to a design by Thomas Hope

each of rounded arched form depicting a bearded male with curled hair and beard, one stamped 'BUBB' to the left side

Supplied to Thomas Hope for The Garden Temple, Deepdene, Surrey.

Acquired shortly after Deepdene's demolition by Sir Howard Colvin. 

These rare survivals are overall in reasonable condition. The one stamped BUBB with large chip to outer border at the 2 o'clock position and another to the bottom edge and with smaller chips to outer edge. Small chip to the right eyebrow. The other with small chips to the outer edges. There is also a chip to the right side of the nose. Each overall with green discolouration to the surface and general weathering consistent with age and exposure to the elements. For further information on this Lot, please contact the English Furniture Department on 00 44 (0) 207 293-5470.
"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.
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These magnificent masks originally graced the Temple in the grounds of Deepdene, Surrey, the country residence of the designer and collector Thomas Hope. They appear to have capped the pilasters of the 'Etruscan' temple and can be seen in a drawing by Thomas Hope and William Atkinson circa 1818-23, currently in the Minet Library, Lambeth and illustrated in David Watkin, Thomas Hope and the Neo-Classical Idea, London, 1968, fig. 56 and reproduced here. The temple was situated on land given to Hope by his brother Henry Philip, following his purchase of the Chart Park Estate from Sir Charles Talbot, Bt. and was built in commemoration of this generous gift, bearing the inscription 'Fratri Optimo. HPH'.

The design of the masks, almost a leitmotif of Hope's design, closely relate to plate XXXVII in his Household Furniture and Interior Decoration, of 1807. Similar masks also appear on a pair of Blue John vases depicted in Household Furniture on the Aurora Room table at Hope's Duchess Street mansion and are illustrated in David Watkin and Philip Hewat-Jaboor (ed.), Thomas Hope, Regency Designer, New Haven and London, 2008, no. 70, pp. 382-3 (currently on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London) as well as on the standards of a micro-mosaic topped table originally in the Picture Gallery, op.cit. no. 78, pp.396-397. Finally the full range of masks appear on a patinated copper and ormolu vase attributed to Alexis Decaix and illustrated op.cit., no. 89. pp.416-7.

 

George James Bubb (1782-1853)

George Bubb attended the Royal Academy Schools in 1801 and was awarded a Silver Medal in 1805. The following year he was commissioned to produce the monument to Pitt for the Guildhall  and also executed Captain Faulkener's monument in St. Paul's.  Most relevant here however is his work in 'artificial stone' a technique he obviously honed while working at Mrs. Coade's works at Lambeth. Around 1818, Bubb, in partnership with John Charles Felix Rossi, with whom he had worked at Coade's manufactory, began producing terracotta items. Despite Hope's acquisition of Deepdene in 1807 the alterations he undertook were still in progress around this time and indeed continued into the 1820s. Bubb would have previously been aquainted with Thomas Hope as in 1808 he had executed a stone statue for the Hope Insurance Office on Ludgate Hill, and as such it would have been a logical choice for Hope to re-commission a sculptor of whose work he had previous knowledge (see  R. Gunnis, The Dictionary of British Sculptors , 1965, pp. 66-67).