Mayhew & Ince

John Mayhew (1736-1811) and William Ince (1737-1804) went into business together in 1759 and ran one of the most enduring and well-connected partnerships in Georgian London’s cabinet-making community, until 1804.  Their partnership strengthened in 1762 when they married two sisters - Ann and Isabella Stephenson - in a double wedding at St George’s in London’s Hanover Square.

The same year, they published the ‘Universal System of Household Furniture’ dedicated to the Duke of Marlborough. It was a folio of drawings and descriptions in both English and French, produced in direct competition to their biggest trade competitor, Thomas Chippendale.

Chippendale’s ‘The Gentleman and Cabinet Makers Director’ (which William Ince had subscribed to) was first published in 1754, and circulated the country to mainly aristocratic subscribers. It quickly became the industry standard amongst regional and colonial cabinet-makers. The book established Chippendale’s name, as not only a manufacturer of furniture, but also possibly the first interior designer, advising his clients on their overall project, from the colour of their walls to their soft furnishings.

Mayhew and Ince quickly realised the commercial benefits of producing such a body of work and followed suit.  Their style was far more classical than that of Chippendale, they led the fashion for detailed marquetry and painted furniture, inspired by 17th century floral and antiquarian motif.  Their skill incorporated delicate shading and surface engraving on the natural colour of the wood, which may then have been enriched with white, black or red mastic for effect.

Through extensive correspondence, we know Mayhew and Ince were one of the few cabinet-making workshops in London, which frequently used ormolu mounts by Matthew Boulton.  They also worked closely with Robert Adam, most notably for Sir John Whitwell at Audley End in 1767, for the Duchess of Northumberland in 1771, for the Earl of Kerry in 1771 and, most importantly for the Duchess of Manchester in 1775, creating the well-documented Kimbolton Cabinet, now in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.