A pair of North Italian fruitwood inlaid marquetry and walnut bedside cupboards, Lombard, in the manner of G.B.M. late 18th century

each with an inset mottled grey and white  marble top, one with a door enclosing a shelf, the other adapted with a door above a pull -out lower section enclosing a drawer, the reverse of each with a paper label inscribed in ink: Callo? no. 8, Comodino? Mobile usaro, A Lord Portsmouth, Hurstbourne Park, Whitchurch, Hampshire, Ingliterra, Vicola...ve...

Earls of Portsmouth, Hurstbourne Park, Hampshire.
Acquired by present owner upon the acquisition of Hurstbourne Park, circa 1937.

The extensive Hurstbourne Park estate in Whitchurch, Hampshire was until the mid-1930s in the ownership of the Earls of Portsmouth, the Wallop family. Hurstbourne Park is a Grade II listed building and had a landscaped park, and was thought, by Charles Kingsley, to be the most beautiful park in southern England. The house was partly demolished in 1965.

The date of construction of these cupboards is from between circa 1790 and 1820. Both the cupboards are in very good, clean and sturdy condition and their colour is slightly darker and less orange than they appear in the catalogue illustration. The marble tops each have a few, very minor, chips along their leading edges. The sides are all slightly warped. The small door above the pull out section on the one cupboard has a repaired vertical split. Some minor chips to the marquetry have been repaired and filled in. These are a very handsome and well proportioned pair of cupboards which should be easy to place in their present condition.
"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."

Comparative Literature:
A.G.Palacios, Il Gusto dei Principi, Arte di corte del XVII e del XVIII secolo, Vol I, Milan, 1993, p. 308, figs 612-614, for a related commode and pair of beside cabinets signed G.B.M. and dated 1797, conceived in a similar vein.

A related commode and pair of bedside cupboards attributed to G.B.M. was sold in These Rooms, lot 66, 4th December 2007.