A large pair of George I carved giltwood and gesso pier glasses circa 1715, attributed to John Belchier

the pierced crestings with central ribbon-tied masks beneath feather-plume headdresses  flanked by eagle heads and scrolls, the divided bevelled plates within moulded frames headed by double scrolled arches, the elaborately shaped surrounds with a profusely carved gesso ground of scrolling foliate and flowers, the pierced foliate scroll-carved sides leading to serpentine aprons centred by winged seraphin masks amongst acanthus leaves, reinstated with a rare set of matching 4mm thick early 18th century mirror glass plates with their original mercury silvering, bevelled and shaped to the original configuration

Almost certainly supplied to Sir Roger Hill (d. 1729) for Denham Place, Buckinghamshire.
Possibly Sold to Francis Lenygon circa 1914 by Colonel Way.
Acquired by Lord and Lady Chesterfield for Beningborough Hall, York after 1917.
Sold Curtis & Henson, 12 June 1958, Beningborough Hall, The Important Contents of the Mansion (two of lots 634-636).
Desmond Fitz-Gerald, `A New Yorker's Unusual Collection, Apollo Magazine, March 1967, vol. LXXXV, N^o. 61, p. 162, pl. 11
Sold The Benjamin Sonnenburg Collection, Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, 5-9 June 1979, lot 1647 (shown with single long replacement plates).
Sold Christie's New York, 8 April 2004, lot 95 (catalogued as 19th/20th century, the plates not those currently with the mirrors).

F. Lenygon, Furniture in England from 1660-1760, 1914, p.260, fig. 395 and p. 210, fig. 313, (possibly shown in the reflection).
H.A. Tipping, English Homes, Period IV, 1928, vol. II, pp. 236-7. pls. 346-8.
Country Life, Beningborough Hall II - Yorkshire, LXII, December 3rd 1927, p. 822-4, figs. 5-7.
Curtis and Henson, Beningborough Hall, contents sale catalogue, 12 June, 1958, two of lots 634-636.
Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies archives D192/15/2 circa 1742 diary of Abigail daugher of Sir Roger Hill who married Edward Lockey (mother-in-law of Lewis Way of Richmond).

Excellent overall condition. The gilding and minor elements of carving beautifully restored as per the `Carvers & Gilders ' treatment report available on request. The crestings with very small restorations to the scrolls flanking the central feather plumes. Some old repaired breaks to crestings which are hidden by the gilding. Some minor restorations to the carving as follows: A Seraphim broken wing tip, loss of a Lily petal to the right side of one mirror and losses to foliate elements around frames and feather terminals to the scrolled forms each side of the frames. The plates with lovely mellow tone and degrading consistent with early mirror glass. One plate with an almost invisible stress fracture to the upper right side of the lower plate, which has been stabilised. Some of the pine backboards to the back of the frame have been replaced. Additional photographs of the backs of frames available on request. A truly magnificent pair of mirrors of exceptionally large scale for the period. One of the most important pairs of early 18th century English giltwood mirrors to be offered for sale by Sotheby's for a considerable time.
"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."

The present pair of pier-glasses closely relate to an example supplied by the London cabinet-maker John Belchier (d.1753), to John Meller in 1726 for one of the best bedchambers at Erddig Park, Denbighshire, Wales (now in the Saloon) at a cost of  £50 (see R. Edwards and M. Jourdain, Georgian Cabinet-Makers, rev. ed., London 1946, p. 99, fig. 33 and erroneously attributed to Moore and Gumley).  The cresting of another mirror sharing distinctive elements such as twin eagle heads, voluted scrolls and a putto mask formerly in the collection of Gerald Hochschild and subsequently with Mallett & Son, sold Sotheby's New York, 11 October 1996, lot 369 (see L. Synge, Mallett's Great English Furniture, London 1991, p.89). Similar characteristics are also repeated on a further example illustrated in G. Child, World Mirrors 1650-1900, London 1990, p.78, fig.51 and a pair of pier glasses sold Christie's New York, 22 April 1999, lot 143.

This impressive pair of mirrors can be attributed to John Belchier, a cabinet-maker recorded at The Sun, on the south side of St. Paul's Church Yard in 1717 until his death in 1753 at the age of seventy. His trade labels appeared in several formats, cut as either a square or circle with his name spelt either 'Bel-Chier' or, 'Belchier.' Another more informative variant was a rectangular label, headed by his shop sign - an ornamental sun - which appears on the reverse of a burr walnut bureau cabinet sold in these Rooms, 14 November 1980, lot 30. It notes that Belchier was a maker of 'fine Peer and Chimney-Glasses, and Glass Sconces, Likewise all Cabbinet Makers Goods.'

Belchier, whose name is thought to reflect Huguenot origins, was possibly the son of another important craftsman, also John Belchier, who may well be the tradesman who worked extensively for Ralph, 1st Duke of Montagu, at Boughton House, Northamptonshire, during the latter part of the 17th century. John Belchier, the younger, received his most significant commission from John Meller at Erddig, Wales, for whom he produced not only the comparable mirror (illustrated in Jourdain op. cit. fig.33) but a celebrated suite of gilt and silvered gesso furniture during the 1720s (cf. Martin Drury, 'Early Eighteenth-Century Furniture at Erddig,' Apollo, July 1978, pp.46-55). In the 1730s he also carried out important work for the Purefoy family at Shalston, Buckinghamshire. In addition to cabinet work, Belchier also produced both clear and mirrored glass. Records reveal that he supplied a quantity of glass for St. Paul's Cathedral in the 1720s and in all likelihood he manufactured the glass for his own furniture. It is therefore of considerable significance that a diary of Abigail Lockey (daughter of Sir Roger Hill) in the Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies archives circa 1742 records payments to Mr Bilchier sic and Mr Belchier:

`ye 13 pd Mr Bilchier for self and sister 9-0-0'

`Jan ye 11 pd Mr Belchier for a frame for her chest 00-18-0'

Whilst the timeline of the diary entries post-dates the present mirrors by about twenty five years, it provides evidence of Belchier's continuing patronage by the family up until a decade or so before his death in 1753.

Denham Place

The builder of Denham, Sir Roger Hill was the son of  Roger Hill, a leading national figure under the Commonwealth. His achievements included the appointment of junior counsel against Archbishop Laud in 1644 before becoming an MP for Bridport the following year.  He also forged a distinguished legal career which culminated in his promotion to Baron of the Exchequer in 1657 and the upper bench in 1660.

His son Sir Roger Hill who gained a knighthood at the early age of twenty six on account of his father's achievments, was himself a member of parliament for Wendover as well as holding the office of High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire in 1673.  It was during the same year that he bought the west half of the manor of Denham including the older house. However it was not until 1691 that he commenced construction of the new house under the direction of the mason-contractor, William Stanton.  The relatively small sum of £214 4s. 2d., Stanton received for his services suggests that he was commissioned solely for his role as a designer. Evidence of the slow progress of work at Denham is provided by the final payment date made to contractors as late as 1701.  

Denham Place was inherited by Sir Roger Hill's two daughters, only the second, Mrs Lockey, bearing a child, Abigail, who married Lewis Way of the Old Palace, Richmond. Hence it was Abigail who became the sole heiress of Denham and direct ancestor of Colonel Way who is the last recorded inhabitant of Denham in possession of the mirrors (see Lenygon op. cit. p.260, fig.395) before the house was sold to Mr and Mrs Fothergill in 1920 who in turn sold it to Lord Vansittart in 1930. It is entirely possible that a grand pair of mirrors such as these may have hung in the drawing room which features an elaborate plasterwork cornice in high relief, almost certainly by William Parker, with a hunting theme including scenes of hare coursing, stag hunting and falconry (see Denham Place, Uxbridge, Country Life, November 18th, 1905, pp 702-709 and Oliver Hill and John Cornforth, English Country Houses, CAROLINE 1620-1685 , 1966, pp. 201-210).

Beningborough Hall

The house which was granted by Henry VIII in 1544 had an unbroken family history until 1917 when it was sold to the Earl of Chesterfield. The previous owners, the Dawnay family were direct descendants of the Bourchiers who were responsible for building Beningborough in its present guise. Having acquired vacant possession of the building the Chesterfields filled it with contents transferred from Holme Lacey, Herefordshire. In 1957 the death of the Countess of Chesterfield precipitated a sale of the contents the following year with only a few items such as the two state beds remaining, having been accepted by the Treasury in Lieu of tax along with the house and park. The four day sale in 1958 held by Curtis & Henson included four mirrors offered as consecutive lots with the following description:

`An upright two-plate mirror in William & Mary design overmantel gilt frame with shell, mask and eagle pediment, scroll and foliage borders, plate 60 in. by 24in.'

The plate dimensions in the Beningborough catalogue suggest and anomaly in the light of the overall dimensions of the mirror. However the plate size given above can be explained as it is consistent with the dimensions of one of the primary lower plates. Furthermore, the measurement is stated for a plate in the singular. 

It is evident from the in-situ room shots of Beningborough Hall (Country Life,  1927, LXII, p. 822-4, figs. 5-7) and the 1958 sale catalogue that there were four mirrors in the set. It is therefore a matter of conjecture as to whether Francis Lenygon copied the pair of mirrors he had acquired from Colonel Way circa 1914 when he sold them to Lord and Lady Chesterfield for their newly acquired house circa 1917 so that two pairs of mirrors could be hung on the East and West walls of the Saloon at Beningborough. These would have been an ideal compliment to the pair of Pelletier mirrors originally from Holme Lacey, which can just be seen in situ in the same room, illustrated in `Beningborough Hall-II', Country Life, December 3rd, 1927,  p. 824, fig 7. Such speculation will remain unresolved until the whereabouts of the remaining pair of mirrors is established. It is nevertheless fortunate that a copy of Francis Lenygon's Furniture in England, held by the Victoria and Albert Museum carries an annotation, possibly in the author's hand: `Col. Way Denham', which has provided an invaluable provenance for the present mirrors (see Desmond Fitz-Gerald, op. cit., p. 163).

Early English mirrors and their cost

Mirror glass production in England as a recognisable organised industry was not established until 1618 when Robert Mansell gained a manufacturing monopoly which lasted until 1640. It was brought to an end by Charles II. Toward the last quarter of the 17th century another figure, George Villiers, the second Duke of Buckingham emerged as a leading producer of mirror glass with his celebrated enterprise known as the Vauxhall Glass Works. Early records demonstrate the considerable cost of mirror glass such as a `very large looking glass' bought by Lady Clayton, wife of the Warden of Merton College Oxford in 1674 which cost £10. However despite the expense, it was only big enough to reflect `her ugly face and body to the middle'. It is therefore not surprising that great competition arose between glass factories to produce the biggest plates. An advertisement of 13th February 1700 placed by the Vauxhall Glass-Works testifies to this.
`Large looking glass Plates, the like never made in England before, both for size and goodness, are now made at the old Glass House at Foxhall, known by the name of the Duke of Buckingham's House, where all persons may be furnished with rough plates from the smallest sizes to those of six foot in length, and proportionable breadth, at reasonable rates'.
Two years later a rival manufacturer at Bear Garden Glass-House, Southwick, advertised plates up to 90 inches. By 1705 John Gumley, the Royal cabinet-maker established a glass-house in Lambeth and became leading mirror manufacturer of the early 18th century. An idea of the cost of a plate is recorded in the Plate Glass Book, first published in 1757 by the` Glass House Clerk' where a sheet of mirror glass measuring 60in. by 42½ in. is priced at £81.17s excluding the retailers mark-up and the cost of the frame. Hence elaborate frames incorporating mirror plates measuring over 60in. supplied by Gumley, Belchier and his circle represented luxury goods of the most exclusive kind and affordable by only the wealthiest of their patrons. Increased production and advances in technology lead to an exponential drop in the price of mirror glass and a sheet measuring 50in. by 40in., which in 1770 would amount to over £60, could be acquired for as little as 4 gns by 1865 (see G. Child, World Mirrors 1650-1900, 1990, pp. 19-23).

The gilding

The following is an extract under the heading `Gesso Preparation/Gilding' which  forms part of a gilder's `Treatment Report' (available on request) outlining the planned conservation and restoration to the mirror frames which was carried out after their acquistion in 2004.

`The original raised and cut gesso surface is of high qulaity with finely cut and detailed designs, the background punched with a double-ring on the flat areas and nail punch on mouldings. The raised gesso was prepared for water gilding with a thin yellow ochre size and red/brown burnishing clay. The water gilt surface was further enriched by a contrasting, alternating burnish/matt scheme.
The materials and colours are consistent with early C18th materials. Analysis of the gesso layers shows many thin applications of gesso, also consistent with C18th practice'.