A pair of George II style white, Sienna and Sicilian jasper marble term pedestals, modern work, after the model by Sir Henry Cheere for the Music Room at West Wycombe Park

The model for our pedestals derives from the four examples preserved in the Music Room at West Wycombe Park, Buckinghamshire, the seat of Sir Francis Dashwood, 2nd Baronet (1708-1781), now in the care of the National Trust. Executed in white marble, Sienna marble and Sicilian jasper, these pedestals are attributed to the sculptor Henry Cheere (1703-1781), who is also credited with the chimneypiece and doorcases in the room.

Sir Francis Dashwood, a free spirit and inveterate traveller, founded the Hell-Fire Club and was among the most active members of the Society of Dilettanti. During his Grand Tours of Italy, between 1726 and 1741, he developed a marked taste for classical Antiquity, which he later sought to revive in the decoration of West Wycombe Park: the Music Room accordingly combines genuine antique works with modern creations in the classical taste, as a memento of his travels. The painted ceiling by Giuseppe Borgnis, depicting a banquet of the gods after the Villa Farnesina in Rome, completes this decorative scheme, conceived in the spirit of the Grand Tour.