THE CRAVEN COMMODES

A pair of George III ormolu mounted padouk, rosewood and kingwood marquetry commodes attributed to Pierre Langlois.
Note: The commodes retain their original brass mounts, apart from the central mount to the apron, which is a faithful restoration, using the original nail holes and copying the mount from another commode by Langlois.
Pierre Langlois used mounts produced by his son-in-law, Dominique Jean. The pattern of the central mount, now reinstated, is consistent with those on other commodes by the same maker, between which there is scarcely any variation. The fact that the same fixing holes have been used further confirms that the mount chosen is correct.
A similar pair, only differing slightly in the door marquetry, was retailed by Frank Partridge Inc. in 1935 as part of the Drury Collection in New York, USA. Another similar pair are to be found in a private collection in England and were shown at the Masterpiece Fair in London in 2011.

Provenance

William, 6th Baron Craven (1738-1791).
By descent until 1965.
Robert Bradley Craven, 6th Earl of Craven (1917-1965), Sotheby’s, 8 October 1965, lot 140.
Mallett & Son Ltd., London, England.
Private collection, England.
Mallett & Son Ltd., London, England.
Private collection, London, England.