A Louis XVI style gilt-bronze mounted mahogany commode after the model by Benneman late 19th century

à deux vantaux, the moulded white marble top above three frieze drawers centered by a lion mask escutcheon, above two panelled doors opening to six drawers, flanked by fluted and columnar uprights, the front and sides decorated with gilt-bronze roundels cast with bacchanal scenes

Purchased by Henry Isaac Butterfield (1819 – 1910) for Cliffe Castle, Yorkshire;
By descent to his grand-daughter Marie-Louise Roosevelt Pierrepont (née Butterfield), Countess Manvers (1889 – 1984), whereupon moved to Thoresby Hall, Nottinghamshire in 1943;
Thence by descent.

This impressive commode is in good original condition. The bronzes are slightly tarnished, and would greatly benefit from cleaning. There are three losses to the veneer of the upper-left front drawer, and the mahogany displays areas with some light discolouration, most notably to the left return. An excellent piece of lovely quality.
"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 original for the present commode is found in a pair by Guillaume Benneman (1750-1811, maître 1785) delivered for Marie Antoinette’s Salon des Jeux at Fontainebleau in 1786. The commission had officially come from Jean Hauré, fournisseur de la cour, and the model was based on an unfinished piece by Joseph Stöckel (1743-1802, maître 1775). While the 19^th century replicas largely had gilt-bronze panels, the original pair featured Biscuit porcelain panels depicting mythic figures meant to complement the arabesque walls painted after Pierre Rousseau’s architectural designs. As noted by Pierre Verlet: “Quel effet devaient-elles faire, quelle harmonie pourraient-elles redonner au Salon des Jeux! Leurs arabesques, leurs médaillons, leurs camaïeux sont destinés à se marier avec les motifs semblables que le peintre Sauvage a dessinés sur les murs”   (in Id., Le Mobilier Royal Français, Paris, 1992, v. II, p. 110). This model became extremely popular at the end of the 19^th century, with François Linke famously producing his own version, slightly modified in size (index number 904). An alternative version, with gilt-bronze plaques instead of Wedgewood – the satyress and infant model probably after a model by Clodion - and of which the present is an example, was also produced around 1900. A nearly identical commode was sold Sotheby’s New York, 22 October 2008, lot 284 ($80,500).

Cliffe Castle was built by George Webster of Kendal in the Elizabethan style between 1828-1833, near Keighley, Yorkshire, and bought by the Butterfield family in the 1840s. Henry Isaac Butterfield – the textile manufacturer and millionaire – married Mary Roosevelt Burke, of New York, in 1854. The couple would spend most of their time between their house in Place de l’Etoile, Paris, and Nice. Their son, Frederick William, is born in Paris in 1858. After the fall of the Second Empire, Henry Isaac starts spending more time at Cliffe Castle, which is significantly extended between 1875-1880. At this time, Frederick travels extensively, spending time in America with his cousin Theodore, who will become American President in 1901. Frederick moves in Cliffe Castle in 1910 upon his father’s death; in 1943, upon Sir Frederick’s death, Marie-Louise, whose husband has by then become 6^th Earl Manvers, inherits the estate, which is by then falling in disrepair, and which will be sold in 1950. The Countess, a gifted artist who had trained at the Academie Julian in Paris, has left a number of interior oils of both Cliffe Castle and Thoresby Hall. The present commode is discernible in a sketch of the Ballroom at Cliffe Castle (fig. 1) dating from the pre-War years.