A George III giltwood mirror,
c.1760, Irish, in the manner of Thomas Chippendale, with a later arched plate in shaped mirrored borders, surmounted by a pagoda and entwined with fruiting vines, restorations and losses,
124cm wide
235m high
Provenance: Farmleigh, Entrance Hall.
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Thomas Chippendale was one the most significant furniture creators of the 18th century, achieving an international reputation and producing beautiful designs that have echoed through generations of furniture-making. This mirror in particular combines both Irish taste and Chippendale styles with an elegant, flowing and fruitful frame filled with ripening vines, imaginative rococo scrolls and chinoiserie flair.
During the 18th century there was an increasing demand for a luxury market, and in 1754 Chippendale published 'The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director', a subscription pattern book that ensured he was perceived as one of the most influential and impressive cabinetmakers of his time. The book contained 161 engravings of a wide range of domestic furniture in the ‘Gothic, Chinese and Modern Taste’ (rococo) as well as plainer, more practical pieces. Chippendale, through this innovative showcase of design, became wildly successful, and his pattern book was reissued twice, in 1755 and 1762, with additional plates in the Neoclassical style that was quickly becoming a society favourite.
Chippendale excelled over his contemporaries due to his superb understanding of design and craftmanship, with many of the pieces ensuring function and practicality was met as well as beauty.
Sold for £19,000
Condition Report
The centre mirror plate later. The frame suggests there would have been a horizontal plate divider across the middle, now masked by regilding. Some loose pieces of decoration (which are present - one vine leaf from right hand side of the frame, and one flaming urn finial from the right hand side). Central mirror plate presumed to be later. The frame regilded and restored.
Additional images uploaded.
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Auction: The Guinness Sale at Elveden, 14th Sep, 2023
‘I wish all the recipients of lots from this Elveden auction years of enjoyment from their purchase, as I believe the vast majority of these items are likely to be heirlooms for generations of the future.’
Edward Iveagh
Viewing
Sale Location
The auction will take place at Elveden Hall, London Road, Elveden, Thetford IP24 3TQ. The sale commences at 10am, with doors open from 8.30am.
Viewing
Viewing will be held at Elveden Hall, London Road, Elveden, Thetford IP24 3TQ.
Entrance by catalogue only, admits two.
Purchased in advance - £35 (inc. postage) – Please send contact details to accounts@sworder.co.uk
Purchased on the door - £30
Saturday 9 September, 10am - 4pm
Sunday 10 September, 10am - 4pm
Monday 11 September, 10am - 7pm
Tuesday 12 September, 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 13 September, 10am - 4pm
All lots are, however, extensively illustrated and carry detailed condition reports - see 'Condition report' at the foot of each lot description.
Refreshments by Maision Bleue available on site.
Lots from Farmleigh are denoted by a ☘
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Having come to define 20th-century glassmaking, as well as developing several groundbreaking techniques, Paolo Venini’s life was set on a completely different course as he returned from the war. However, it was during his posting near Venice - where he was awestruck by the stainedglass windows of St Marks Basilica - that his interest in glassmaking was awoken. Returning to civilian life, he trained and practised as a lawyer in his native Milan, where he came to befriend Giacomo Capellini, a local antiques dealer. Sharing Paolo’s passion for the rich heritage of Venetian glass, the two travelled to Venice in 1921, where they purchased a derelict glass factory on the island of Murano.
The ensuing years were riddled with conflict with a lack of direction failing to emerge, resulting in Capellini abandoning the venture in 1925. With sole control of the company’s vision, and straying from convention in favour of pioneering modern conventions exhibited in Paris and Scandinavia, Paolo soon saw the company rising to fame with major commissions earned throughout Italy.
The decades under Paolo’s leadership saw the emergence of art glass as we’ve come to recognise it in a contemporary sense, moving it away from the techniques of the early 20th century and continuously pushing the technical boundaries of glassmaking, resulting in increasingly impressive pieces. This was aided by an active collaboration with some of the leading contemporaries of architecture and design, which included the likes of Gio Ponti, Carlo
Scarpa, and Ettore Sottsass, ushering in an era of technically advanced pieces which still perplex glass-blowers to this day.
Paolo Venini (Italian, 1895-1959) A Murrine A Dame Vase (£15,000-25,000)
Introduced in 1953 and formally unveiled at the 1954 Venice Biennale, the ‘Dama’ was one of four patterns of the ‘Murrine’ series. Also comprising the ‘Mezzaluna’, ‘Puntini’ and ‘Pavone’ patterns, the technique is often considered some of Venini’s most challenging to produce, due to its laborious process of manufacture. The process starts with murine glass rods being heated into a sheet, before being joined and blown into shape, leaving little margin for error and resulting in a low number of vases being produced. Whilst this meant that the shapes had to be kept simplistic, the achieved effect is anything but, rendering fine swirls of mosaic, which bends and morphs throughout the surface.
We are incredibly proud to offer, as part of our October Design sale, one of the most sought-after vases of Venini’s production, considered by many to be among the pinnacle of technical accomplishment achieved by the company under Paolo Venini’s leadership. This, along with other pieces of select art glass, will be offered in our 31 October Design sale.
design@sworder.co.uk | 01279 817778