59A
59A. A REGENCY GILTWOOD AND EBONIZED CONVEX MIRROR by Thomas Fentham and bearing his trade label,...
Currency:USD
Category:Everything Else / Other
Start Price:NA
Estimated At:120,000.00 - 180,000.00 USD
NOT SOLD (BIDDING OVER)
0.00USD+ applicable fees & taxes.
This item WAS NOT SOLD. Auction date was 2002 Jun 04 @ 11:00UTC-08:00 : PST/AKDT
59A. A REGENCY GILTWOOD AND EBONIZED CONVEX MIRROR by Thomas Fentham and bearing his trade label, Circa 1815 The circular convex mirror within reeded slip and with ball decorated cavetto molded outer frame divided by reeded gilt molding and a sanded ground, the cresting centered by a globe above draped and tasselled spears resting on gathered military and naval trophies including a battle axe, sword hilts, a cannon and cannon balls, a pistol and a compass, the apron of rectangular square molded form, centered by stars on a square panel with a gathered acanthus leaf spray below one flanked by a pair of Hippocampi 861/2 X 60 X 51/2 in. 220 X 125.5 X 14 cm - $120,000-180,000 provenance Charles de Beistegui (1895-1970), Château de Groussay, circa 1941-70. Juan de Beistegui, Château de Groussay, 1970-1999 (sold Sotheby's/Poulain o Le Fur House sale, 2 June 1999, lots 87-88, sold as a pair). The iconography This rare pair of looking glasses combine a number of naval and military trophies and symbols, all in reference to British military supremacy on land and sea after the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte including. Hippocampi A fabulous marine creature with the fore parts of a horse and the hind parts of a fish. Hippocampi drew the chariot of Neptune (the Sea God) and Galatea (a Nereid or Sea Nymph). Sails The sail is the attribute of Fortune, because she in inconstant like the wind, and of Venus who was born of the sea. Swords The sword is both the weapon of the soldier and also a symbol of authority and of the administration of justice. Palms: The palm was originally a symbol of military victory and was adopted as a Christian symbol of victory over death. The goddess Victory is often depicted as a branch or palm frond. Laurels The small leaved 'Lauras Nobilis' the bay, was used to make the victor's crown. Hourglass An hourglass is an attribute of Death and of Father Time. Lion The lion has many attributes, including that of Cybele, of the personification of Africa, North Africa, and the Battle of The Nile was where Nelson defeated the French Fleet in 1798. Globe The globe is an attribute of Truth, Fame and Abundance, and when combined with scales and a sword, of Justice. Spear The spear is the attribute of the warrior and the hunter. Battle Axe The battle axe often seen with an anvil (but not in this case) is the attribute of the warrior. Given the martial iconography of the carved decoration of each mirror and the fact that both are set beneath with the eight-pointed star of the Order of the Garter, it is likely that they were given to or ordered by a military figure on whom this decoration was placed following the battle of Waterloo, of which lions are symbolic. CHARLES DE BEISTEGUI (1895-1970) AND THE CHATEAU DE GROUSSAY Born in Paris in 1895, Charles de Beistegui attended Eton and then Cambridge in 1914. In 1929, he commissioned Le Corbusier to remodel his penthouse on the Champs Elysees and in 1939 acquired the Château de Groussay, built circa 1815 by the Duchesse de Charost, and proceeded to decorate it with the help of his friend Emilio Terry. With the Classicist French Revolutionary architect Ledoux as his hero, Terry may well have recommended to Beistegui that he purchase the present pair of mirrors, and they represented perfectly the Empire and Regency revival taste of the day. They are seen hanging in the library in a watercolor dated 1944 by Alexandre Serebriakoff (1907-94) and remained there until 1999. Thomas FentHam Thomas Fentham was one of the most renowned looking-glass manufacturers of the late 18th and early 19th century in London. The form and decoration of his pieces, which included pier, overmantel, and toilet mirrors, is most easily and accurately defined as 'classical'. He worked at 52 Strand from 1783-1802, when he moved to 136 Strand. The present pair of mirrors are by far the most impresssive recorded by this maker. For other mirrors bearing his trade label, including convex examples, see Christopher Gilbert, Pictoral Dictionary of Marked London Furniture, 1700-1840. London/Leeds, 1996, fig. 331-47 and Herbert F. Schiffer, The Mirror Book. Exton, Pa., 1983, figs. 566-67.
Auction Location:
United States
Previewing Details:
Tuesday May 28 10:00AM to 5:00PM;Wednesday May 29 10:00AM to 5:00PM;Thursday May 30 10:00AM to 5:00PM;Friday May 31 10:00AM to 5:00PM;Saturday June 1 10:00AM to 5:00PM;Sunday June 2 1:00PM to 5:00PM; Monday June 3 10:00AM to 5:00PM
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