A George I gilt-gesso bureau-cabinet, circa 1720, attributed to James Moore

the gilt surface decorated overall with strap-work and foliage patterns, the sides and two doors with bevelled mirror plates, the interior side of the doors in walnut opening to reveal a fitted interior with pigeonholes below central arched door surrounded by small drawers all yew veneered below opening for shelves, the upper section out-facing uprights rosewood veneered, the fall front desk with fitted interior with pigeonholes and drawers also yew veneered, lower section with two short and three long drawers, the sides with carrying handles, all raised on boldly carved paw feet;  the mirror plates later and fifteen of the desk drawers re-veneered.

Mr Alexandre Fernandes, sold Sotheby`s London, 3rd June 1977, lot 93;
With Mallett & Son (Antiques) Ltd, London;
Private Collection, London, purchased at The Grosvenor House Antiques Fair from the above, London, 15^th June 1978

Synge, Lanto, Great English Furniture, London, 1991, p.52.

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE

‘Noticia verdadeira do ornato, que se vio nas cazas de Madre Soror Paula Maria’. Biblioteca Nacional de Lisboa, manuscript - BNL, F.4640 - published in Guimarães, J. Ribeiro, Summario de Varia Historia, 1872, pp. 67-70;
Dias, Carlos Malheiro, Cartas de Lisboa. Primeira Serie (1904), Lisboa, Livraria Classica Editora, 1905, p.109;
Proença, José António, Mobiliário da Casa-Museu Dr. Anastácio Gonçalves. 2002, p.183;
Symonds, R. W. 'A Royal Scrutoire', Connoisseur, June 1940, pp. 233-236;
Symonds, R. W., ‘English Gesso Furniture’, The Antique Collector, Vol. XXVII, August 1956, p. 140;
‘A Golden Cabinet’, Mallett Spring Catalogue. London: Mallett & Son Antiques, 2003, pp. 6-13;
Murdoch, Tessa, ‘The king’s cabinet-maker: the giltwood furniture of James Moore the Elder’, Burlington Magazine, vol. CXLV, 2003, ill. 8, p. 410.

This extraordinary bureau is in an overall good restored condition and can be placed as is. The hardware is original in part: it has original side handles and engraved lock plate to the fall front, original engraved hinges and the key escutcheons are also possibly all original. The door lock is a replacement as well as all the drawer handles. The cabinet has been restored sometime in the 20th century, when the gilding and gesso has been stabilized and refreshed; it still keeps its deep carving and the expected wear showing the red bole and gesso underneath, producing an attractive gold colour surface. The feet are original but have been repaired. Fifteen drawers of the desk fittings are possible replacements and definitely re-veneered to match the original yew veneers. Repairs to back board and top and there is a mark of a former divider on the top of the fittings which makes us believe that the removable shelf might be of a later date. The central door of the upper section interior has two shrinking cracks and was formerly with a lock plate; the desk has now a modern tooled brown velvet surface; some small losses to veneers and gilding consistent with use and age. Replaced bevelled mirror plates. An impressive piece and rare survivor.
"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."

One of a pair, this extraordinary bureau can be ranked among the finest examples of 18^thcentury English cabinet-making. Almost certainly produced for the Portuguese market under the aegis of King Dom João V (r.1709-1750), one of the foremost and most lavish patrons of arts in 18^th century Europe.

A Portuguese Patron?

Anglo-Portuguese relations had strengthened following the Treaty of Methuen signed between the two allied countries in 1703. Concurrently, Portugal's new Brazilian territory meant Dom João had untold wealth at his disposal, allowing him to commission the finest works of art from Europe's cultural capitals including London, Paris and Rome. Although the bureau-cabinet is not recorded in any document or inventory associated with the royal court, the only other comparable bureau-bookcases, are firmly linked to the King of Portugal. Whilst it is tempting to also associate the present lot to the royal house, one should also consider the possibility that the bureau was commissioned by a prominent courtier emulating the splendour of the King. The ambassador to the court of St. James in 1715-1719, Dom Luís da Cunha (1662-1749), was a sophisticated diplomat and connoisseur and makes an interesting candidate as he was the court attaché during the period when the Royal cabinet-maker James Moore was at the height of his powers.

The second pair of bureaux (fig.1), and the only know comparison to the present bureau, belonged to the nun Paula Teresa da Silva e Almeida. The King was extremely affectionate of Madre Paula, as she was known, providing her with a lavish life in the monastery of Odivelas and it is likely he sought more than just spiritual counsel from Madre Paula. An eighteenth century manuscript existing in the Biblioteca Nacional in Lisbon recorded the interiors of Madre Paula’s lavish private apartments. The account mentions “two bureaux with mirror in the doors, ornamented with gilt reliefs“, which match the bureau first published by R. W. Symonds in 1940. According to the author, this piece was originally made for King João V and stayed with the descendants of Leocádia Assis e Almeida, sister of Madre Paula, until sold in London in the 1930’s. It formed part of the stock of Frank Partridge & Son, where it was tragically destroyed during the London Blitz. Its pair, we believe, can be found in the Dr. Anastácio Gonçalves Museum in Lisbon, though almost unrecognisable, having shed all the gilt-gesso decoration, having apparently fallen into Funchal harbour in an unfortunate episode whilst in transit (Cartas de Lisboa, 1905, p.109). It is now red japanned but it keeps the superb original yew veneered interior.

The decoration

Gesso, a type of plaster, was applied on the wooden carcass in layers and then the design would be cut into it. In the same way wood is gilded, a red clay ground (or bole) was applied and before the surface was painstakingly covered with gold leaf. The decorated surface was then burnished in the raised areas and punched and stippled to the ground, creating different glittering effects and textures. The elaborate French influenced strapwork designs covering almost the entire surface of the exterior in this imposing piece would have had, when delivered to Portugal, a striking effect with its bright shiny surface resembling solid gold, highly appropriate for the gold rich monarch. The rich fitted interiors veneered in yew would originally resemble the then fashionable tortoiseshell.

James Moore, the Elder

The present lot is among the best examples ever made, and certainly the grandest surviving, in this technique and has been attributed to the workshops of the royal cabinet-maker James Moore, the elder (c.1670-d. 1726). It is one of two surviving bureau to be fully decorated in gilt-gesso, a technique always seen in smaller pieces such as tables, chests and mirrors. The quality and richness of the design is of the highest order and the unusual feature of having mirror plates on the sides indicate a commission made for the export market. The quality and grandness of the piece and the similar ornament designs found in pieces long attributed to Moore, such as a chest in Boughton House, and the Bateman chest, re-affirm the involvement of this royal cabinet-maker. According to Tessa Murdoch 'Moore's giltwood desk with bookcase... demonstrates the application of imported techniques to produce a unique form of English furniture, with the addition of the most sumptuous decoration....The bold design and decoration of the marriage chests and the desk with bookcases indicate Moore's extraordinary level of confidence and invite curiosity about his background and training' (Murdoch, op. cit., 2003).

James Moore, of Nottingham Court, Short’s Gardens, St. Giles-in-the-Fields, London, had an exceptional career working for a group of forward thinking patrons. He started his career possibly as an apprentice with Elizabeth Gumley and her son John and, in 1714, Moore enters into partnership with the Gumleys, an association that continued until his death in 1726, although it is obvious from surviving documentary evidence that the partners frequently carried out individual commissions, besides those for the Royal Household. Some of Moore’s known patrons include the Duchess of Marlborough, Duchess of Buccleuch, the Duke of Montagu, and the Earl of Burlington.