The cabinet illustrated in Percy Macquoid, A History of English Furniture, vol. III, ‘The Age of Mahogany’, 1906, p. 116, fig. 98
Detail of the carved volute concealing a drawer, in Percy Macquoid, A History of English Furniture, vol. III, ‘The Age of Mahogany’, 1906, p. 117, fig. 99
A MAGNIFICENT GEORGE II MAHOGANY CABINET, English, circa 1740
Width: 5 ft 7 in; 170.5 cm
Depth: 1 ft 10 in; 56 cm
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Attributed to William Hallett, this masterly carved cabinet has many hidden features. Its numerous drawers and secret compartments are all operated by a single key, which must be used in different ways depending on the lock to be opened. Without being unduly technical, the key operates on the push as well as on the pull, and some locks require a second turn, when the key sinks deeper than before.
Every possible space has been used: for example, the carved volutes pull out sideways to reveal drawers, the stepped moulding separating the upper and lower sections of the cabinet contains drawers and slides, and the plinth base forms a single large drawer. The lower section is more conventionally fitted with four small drawers to each side and four large drawers in the centre, but here again secret compartments are hidden either behind or below the drawers. In addition, both doors are fitted with wire retainers for an apothecary.
The glazed upper section contains two shaped shelves in the centre, which must have been used for display purposes, as they would have been impractical otherwise.
The locks, hinges and all other metalwork had to be made specifically for the cabinet and would have been extremely costly.
The cabinet is without doubt from a London workshop, and the quality of the carving suggests William Hallett. William Vile was his apprentice, but the date of the cabinet supports attribution to Hallett. Hallett worked at Rousham House in Oxfordshire, Holkham Hall in Norfolk and Ditchley Park in Oxfordshire, as well as for the Royal Family. The accounts at Uppark, Sussex, include an entry for 27 March 1754: ‘Pd Mr Hallett for a cabinet £43 5s 0d’. This huge amount for a cabinet would allow for the expensive metalwork, but the date is slightly too late for the current example. Further research may one day reveal for whom this extraordinary cabinet was made.
A very similar cabinet with identical outline, but in black lacquer and japanned elsewhere, remains in the collection at Milton Hall, Peterborough.
Provenance
Henry Percy Dean (1864-1931), probably for 69 Harley Street, London, until 1906;
Transferred to Bridgefoot House, Iver, Buckinghamshire, 1906, until June 1909;
Christie’s, London, ‘The Collection of Old English Furniture of H. P. Dean Esq.’, 14 June 1909, lot 21, 750 guineas (£787 10s);
Partridge, Lewis & Simmons, London, England;
Transferred to Plaza Hotel, New York, USA, 1910;
Private collection, USA;
Private collection, London, England;
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. James Warburg, Greenwich, Connecticut, USA.
Literature
The Times, 15 June 1909, p. 12.
The Times, 19 June 1909, p. 14.
Country Life, 12 March 1921, p. LXXXVI, fig. 4.
Percy Macquoid and Ralph Edwards, The Dictionary of English Furniture (revised edition), 1954, p. 180, fig. 32.
Illustrated:
Percy Macquoid, A History of English Furniture, vol. III, ‘The Age of Mahogany’, 1906, pp.116-117, figs. 98-99 (H. Percy Dean Collection).
Partridge, Lewis & Simmons, ‘The Furniture of Thomas Chippendale’, catalogue, 1910, for the exhibition held at Plaza Hotel, 9th floor, New York, USA, item no. 1.
