A George II grey veined white marble chimneypiece circa 1735, the design attributed to William Kent

the moulded mantelpiece above a dentilled underside flanked by pine cones, the frieze centred by a tablet with penderned seeding bell flowers, flanked by a Vitruvian scroll frieze and stylised wheat husks on plain moulded jambs ending in block plinths

Good condition with some marks and stains, especially to the manltepiece which has chips to the back edge. It also has a broken corner and a hairline crack to the centre. Damage to one pine cone carving. Minor chips to the dentils. Further, mainly minor, chips to the edges throughout with more substantial chipping to the blocks. The chimney piece is very dirty and could benefit from cleaning according to taste.
"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."

A number of chimneypieces were recorded as having been removed from Chiswick in the 19th and early 20th centuries and it seems highly probable that this is one of them. The use of the more heavily veined marble and the relatively austere design in comparison to those from Devonshire House adds weight to this theory. Furthermore the Vitruvian scrolled design with the tendrils trailing from the scrolls is identical to the ornament found on the sides of the ceiling beams in the Red Velvet Room at Chiswick, see John Harris, The Palladian Revival: Lord Burlington, His Villa and Garden at Chiswick, Yale, 1994, p. 126, fig. 93.

The first to be removed from Chiswick was that in the Summer Parlour. The sudden decision to hold a garden party at Chiswick with breakfast for Tsar Nicholas I in June 1840 meant that the 6th Duke had to create a suitably large room, off the gardens, to entertain his royal guest. He records that he took out an internal wall and removed a fire place which was later incorporated at Chatsworth in the Stag Parlour (see The Bachelor Duke, op. sit.,  p.160). Later Eveyln, Duchess of Devonshire, removed two other chimneypieces one of which now stands in the Red Velvet Room at Chatsworth, the other was to go into the North West Corner Room on the ground floor, sometimes known as the School Room or Billiard Room. Writing in 1936, the Duchess noted I 'replaced the hideous chimneypiece with one that I was allowed to take from Chiswick'. This arrangement did not last as today the chimneypiece in that room is from the time of the 1st Duke, replacing the Chiswick one. It is thought that the lot offered here is that Chiswick chimneypiece.