A George II Period Carved Mahogany Bureau Cabinet Attributed to Giles Grendey
Height: 100" 254cm
Width: 44" 112cm
Depth: 22" 57cm
The upper section of the cabinet surmounted by a blind fretted cornice with broken pediment carved with leaf, egg and dart and dentil moulding centred by a cartouche carved with cabochon and acanthus foliage, over two mirrored doors with an arrangement of drawers, pigeonholes, folio slides and adjustable shelves.
The bureau having a superbly figured 'fall' which opens to reveal further drawers and pigeonholes centred by an inlaid door. Below, the two short and three long drawers above an elaborately carved base with foliage, c-scrolls and cabochon raised upon finely carved cabriole legs terminating in ball and claw feet. Retaining all the original handles and escutcheons.
English, Circa 1740
ATTRIBUTION
This extraordinary bookcase is undoubtedly the finest example to come on the market in many years. The quality of the construction, the carving and the materials used, are of the highest standard.
With this sense of quality in mind, it is not unreasonable to attribute this bookcase to a major London cabinet-maker. Comparisons may certainly be made with the work of Giles Grendey. A particularly distinctive feature is the serpentine shaped mirrored paneled doors. These are repeated on a number of pieces with Grendey's label. For example, two cabinets are illustrated in 'Marked London Furniture'.
A linen press formerly in a private collection on Long Island in New York and also attributed to Grendey, offers an even closer comparison. The broken arch pediment is similarly carved; it too has a cabochon cartouche and serpentine paneled doors. Furthermore, like the bookcase, it has the very unusual feature of a carved apron and short cabriole legs.
There is in fact a group of linen presses that all display this unusual feature. One of these, and there are six in total, is the stunning example formerly in the celebrated collection of Percival Griffiths. Like all the pieces in this group it too makes use of similarly well figured mahogany veneers and is also noteworthy for the quality of the craftsmanship and materials. Interestingly, this group has also been attributed to Grendey.
Like most attributions in English furniture, without a bill of sale it is very difficult to guarantee. However three points are clear. The bookcase and all the examples mentioned all exhibit a number of design similarities. Secondly, they are all of the highest quality. Finally, there can be no doubt that an important London cabinet maker was responsible for these pieces, and the similarities to Giles Grendey's work make him a most likely candidate.
THE COLLECTION OF SHELLS / CHONCHOLOGY
The collection has been inspected by a number of experts and they have been able to confirm that it dates to the 1750-60's. Whilst the shells are not particularly rare, it is exceptional to find collections from this period. Indeed, only one other collection of this date has been found in a piece of furniture before. This period witnessed an enormous upsurge in the collecting of curiosities from the natural world, somewhat helped by expanded trade networks and the discovery and exploration of new species and fauna. Knowledge of botany and science became an increasingly important element of a learned man's education. This collection corresponds in date to Carolus Linnus's work (1707-1778), which systemized a formal method of naming shells, nomenclature, laying the foundation for future naturalists such as Charles Darwin.
 "A George II Period Carved Mahogany Bureau Cabinet")