Cabinets in very good restored condition; areas of refreshment to the decoration and the whole appears to have a clear glaze or varnish which keeps the surface consistently smooth and protects the japanned surfaces; finials appear to have age, but are probably not original; the tops of the cornice may have had other finials to the corners; very minor variations to color of green japanning; please note the color of the green is more mild and less yellow/red than in catalogue illustration; some minor chips to the japanned surface at some corners and edges.
A: Upper section: cornice in good condition with some refreshment to decoration; mirrors appear to be original or contemporary to the piece with some small losses to the silvering at the bottom edge and with pitting visible in the catalogue illustration; interior decoration with some refreshment; prospect door maintaining much of the original decoration; panels to backs of mirrors with warpage and repaired vertical age cracks consistent with age; the apron to the upper section reinforced with later oak supports and with refreshed decoration.
The lower section: the slant from in good condition with some restorations; painted interior with refreshments to decoration and with thin cracks over lines of construction to the writing surface; bowing to prospect door; gray wash later; age cracks and slight separations to panels of drawer bottoms consistent with age; left loper with loss to the left side molded edge; drawers with later removable interior linings; hardware appears to be original; feet replaced.
B: Upper section: cornice in good condition with some refreshment to decoration; mirrors appear to be original or contemporary to the piece with some small losses to the silvering at the bottom edge and with pitting visible in the catalogue illustration; interior decoration with some refreshment; prospect door maintaining much of the original decoration; panels to backs of mirrors with warpage and repaired vertical age cracks consistent with age; the apron to the upper section reinforced with later oak supports and with refreshed decoration.
The lower section: the slant from in good condition with some restorations; painted interior with refreshments to decoration and with thin cracks over lines of construction to the writing surface; bowing to prospect door; gray wash later; age cracks and slight separations to panels of drawer bottoms consistent with age; drawers with later removable interior linings; hardware appears to be original; feet replaced.
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.
This pair of desk-and-bookcases is very similar to a desk-and-bookcase bearing Giles Grendey's trade label with similar swan neck pediment and similar japanned decoration now in the Victorian & Albert Museum, London. (illus. Coleridge, fig. 375) They are also very similar to a number of bookcases attributed to the cabinet-maker Giles Grendey including one which he supplied to the Duke Infantado at Lazcano Castle in Northern Spain circa 1735 and sold at Christie's, London, July 7, 1988, lot 129 (£220,000) and to a scarlet-japanned one which sold in these rooms, March 16, 2012, lot 186. The use of the swan-neck broken pediment with gilded molding, the slightly arched mirror-paneled doors, the arrangement of the interior to the upper section, and the way in which the figures are painted is nearly identical to Grendey's desk-and-bookcase which was one of approximately seventy-seven pieces which he supplied to the Duke Infantado. The majority of this famous suite was bought by the Venice-base American dealer Adolph Loewi in 1930 from Lazcano Castle. The following year, Loewi sold twenty-four side chairs, four armchairs and two girandoles to Walter Rosen for the dining room of his house, Caramoor, Katonah, New York. A number of pieces from the suite are in public collections including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Victorian & Albert Museum and the National Gallery of Victoria, and Temple Newsam House.
Another similar desk-and-bookcase also attributed to Grendey sold at Sotheby's, London, July 10, 1998, lot 21 (£220,000) Like the Infantado bookcase, it incorporates the swan neck broken pediment, similar mirrored doors and interior arrangement. A further example, which differs slightly with its bombé form lower section sold in these rooms, January 25, 1997, lot 221 ($380,000).
Giles Grendey
Grendey's first workshop was at St. Paul's, Covent Garden, moving to premises in St. John's Square, Clerkenwell, in 1722 where he developed a thriving export trade. It was reported in various newspapers on August 7, 1731, including the Daily Post and Daily Advertiser, that Grendey was described as being 'the greatest loser, among the stock destroyed being "an easy Chair of such rich and curious Workmanship, that he had refus'd 500 guineas for it, being intended, 'tis said to be purchas'd by a Person of Quality who design'd it as a Present to a German Prince' and furniture to the value of £1,000, which he "had pack'd for Exportation against the next Morning." Like much of Grendey's furniture, many pieces retain his printed paper trade label, together with a number of stamped initials which can be identified with the names of his apprentices. These labels and initials have allowed a number of attributions to be made which have expanded his oeuvre, his actual documented work being very sparse.
Comparative Literature:
Anthoy Coleridge, Chippendale Furniture, London, 1968
Christopher Gilbert, 'Furniture by Giles Grendey for the Spanish Trade', Antiques, April 1971, pp. 544-550
Christopher Gilbert, Furniture at Temple Newsam House and Lotherton Hall, 1978, pp. 79-81
