拍品专文
See introduction
The Property of
LORD COURTENAY
The Remaining part of
THE POWDERHAM SUITE OF DOLPHIN SEAT-FURNITURE
The Powderham 'Dolphin' seat-furniture was commissioned in the late 1790's by William 3rd Viscount Courtenay and later 9th Earl of Devon (1768-1835), who shared his close friend William Beckford Junior's antiquarian, musical and theatrical interests, and celebrated his coming-of-age in 1791 with a magnificent masquerade ball. A few years later (1794-96) he employed Beckford's architect at Fonthill, James Wyatt (d. 1813) to create a grand neo-classical Music Room at Powderham Castle, to also serve as a ballroom and theatre. This was dominated by Callet's portrait of Louis XVI on one side, balanced on the opposite wall by Cosway's 1792 portrait of Courtenay in his masquerade costume, framed in the French manner with a 'poetic' trophy cresting. This hung above Richard Westmacott's 'Grecian' chimneypiece of Carrara marble with its tablet, depicting Apollo and the Muses of artistic inspiration, supported by caryatid figures of the Greek piping Faun and a dancing, tambourine-playing nymph. The French ormolu grate by Pierre-Phillippe Thomire (sold in these Rooms, 17 June 1987, lot 28 and now in the Victoria and Albert Museum) was accompanied by bronze statues of Apollo and the muse Calliope. The 'Grecian' seat-furniture embellished in the French manner was designed to correspond with the ornament of the room. The reeded seat-rails bound with festive ribbons are bordered with rosettes, which echo the flowered compartments of the domed ceiling, while the 'bergere' sides have triumphal-laurel arm-rests with dolphin supports shaped like half-lyres in keeping with the poetic theme of the room. These water-spouting 'embowed' dolphins, which are the Courtenay family crest, also recall the dolphin's role in mythology in bearing to safety the Greek poet Arion (wreathed with laurel for his skill with the lyre) after he had been thrown overboard by his shipmates.
The suite is likely to have been included in the fee of #3,000 for upholsterer's work, etc. carried out between 1797-99 by Messrs. Elward, Marsh and Tatham of Mount Street, Upholders to George, Prince of Wales, later George IV (M. Girouard, 'Powderham Castle - III', Country Life, 18 July 1963, p. 142). There is a further sum of #2,931-7-8 due to Messrs. William Marsh and Thomas Tatham in 1803 for work done in the years 1800, 1801 and 1803 recorded in the Powderham Estate General Ledger 1763-1803 (Devon Record Office Reference 1508M Devon/V12 p. 68). The eventual payment in 1803 took the form of a bill deferred to 1806, reflecting Courtenay's financial difficulties due to his extravagance. It is possible that the 1803 payment of #2,931-7-8 duplicates in some way the earlier sum of #3,000 recorded by Girouard
442
Messrs. William Marsh & Thomas Tatham of Mount St. Upholsterers.
Dr 1803 Augt. 17th. To his Lordship's Bond of this date to them
payable 18th Augt. 1806 with interest in full
contra. 2931 - 7 - 8
Cr By their Bills for upholsterer's work done for his Lordship in the years 1800, 1801, 1802, & 1803
Their Bills in Trust Book amount to #3051-15-2, which must be a mistake
1803 Augt. 17th. By his Lordship's Bond of this date to the said
Wm. Marsh & Tatham payable 18th Augt. 1806
with interest for #2931 - 7 - 8
The name B. Harmer stamped on both the chairs and the sofas is probably that of the workman responsible for them, although it is inusual to find the whole name stamped rather than just initials. A number of chairs stamped B. Har,er are noted in Dictionary of English Furniture Makers 1660-1840, Leeds, 1986, p. 399
Since the sale of the first part of this suite in these Rooms, 5 July 1990, lots 50 and 51, the stamp was discovered on a superb set of Regency mahogany dining-chairs of the highest quality that was sold in these Rooms, 11 April 1991, lot 83
The whole suite of four bergères and four sofas is recorded in the Music Room in An Inventory of the furniture...belongg. to the Right Honle Lord Viscount Courtenay at Powderham Castle and Exwell Farm in the County of Devon: taken NovR. 1803 by Wm. Hicks
No. 10 Music Room
Four elegent sofas and cusheons striped Satin covers and burnish'd gold frames
18 Cane seatd. chairs in white and gold frames
with striped satin cusheons and cases to Do
Four arm chairs Do with Do
The contents of the room were valued at #1,107-2-0
The extreme scroll of the backs shows the influence of French seat-furniture in the most fashionable taste of the late 1770's and 1780's, such as the fauteuils à la Turque supplied by Georges Jacob to the Comte d'Artois for le Cabinet turc at the Palais du Temple (P. Verlet, Les Meubles Français du XVIIIe Siècle, Paris, 1986, fig. 142). Lord Courtenay would certainly be highly aware of contemporary Parisian style as he was in Paris on several occasions with Beckford, who rented the Hotel d'Orsay in rue de Varenne from the Comte d'Orsay in 1788 and who was in Paris frequently, both during and after the Revolution. The Powderham couch with dolphin support may have inspired Thomas Sheraton's engraving for a 'lecti triclinorium' or 'Duchess Bed', illustrated in his Cabinet Directory, 1803, pl. 17
细节
A PAIR OF GEORGE III GILTWOOD BERGERES attributed to Marsh & Tatham, each with scrolled padded back, sides and cushion seat covered in ivory damask, the moulded frame of the back centred by beading ending in acanthus-leaf finials framing rosettes, the padded arms carved with overlapping laurel leaves supported by freestanding upturned dolphins, the frieze carved with reeding entwined with ribbon crossed in the centre, the tapering legs headed by rosettes carved with two tiers of long leaves ending in ormolu casters similarly cast with long leaves, both stamped B. HARMER, one labelled No. 3, the back legs spliced
the backs 37in.(94cm.)high (2)