Woolley & Wallis
Lot 237
A GEORGE III MAHOGANY SERPENTINE COMMODEIN THE MANNER OF HENRY HILL OF MARLBOROUGH, C.1770the top with a moulded edge, above four long mahogany lined graduated drawers, the top one originally with a slide, with moulded angles on stylised hoof feet81cm high, 101.8cm wide, 59cm deep ProvenanceA private collection, Oxfordshire.Catalogue NoteThis fine commode bears many features that relate it to the work of Henry Hill of Marlborough (act.1740-1778), one of the leading regional cabinetmakers of the mid-Georgian period. In his obituary in 1778, Hill was described as ‘one of the most eminent cabinet-makers and upholsterers in the kingdom’ and was also successful as an auctioneer, estate agent, decorator and agent for the Sun Insurance Company. The location of his enterprise, Marlborough, greatly benefited Hill, as this town lay on the Great West Road between the capitol London and the fashionable city of Bath. Hill also had many important clients among the affluent landowners of Wiltshire, including Paul Methuen at Corsham Court, John Ivory Talbot of Lacock Abbey, Henry Hoare at Stourhead and the 9th Duke of Somerset at Maiden Bradley. The serpentine form, keeled angles and shaped apron and sides are all features that the present lot shares with the work of Hill. Further characteristics are discussed in relation to a group of similar commodes attributed to Hill by Lucy Wood in Lady Lever Art Gallery Catalogue of Commodes, pp.64-73.
