Commode
attributed to Henry Hill of Marlborough (fl.1740-1778)
Category
Furniture
Date
circa 1770
Materials
Mahogany, maple, chequer inlay, oak and deal construction, gilt brass
Measurements
86 x 119 x 60.5 cm
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Anglesey Abbey, Cambridgeshire
NT 514480
Summary
A mahogany, maple cross banded and chequer banded brass mounted serpentine chest of drawers, attributed to Henry Hill of Marlborough, English, circa 1770 The shaped top with moulded edge above a brushing slide and three long graduated drawers and a shaped apron flanked by outset corners with applied brass floral cast mounts with a husk cast beading on the outside edge and joining foliate sabots to the legs.
Full description
Henry Hill (fl. 1740 -1778) of Marlborough in Wilshire, established himself not only as a cabinetmaker, but also a coach-maker, an auctioneer, an estate agent and an insurance company representative. His clients were predominately Wiltshire landowners including the 9th Duke of Somerset at Maiden Bradley, Paul Methuen at Corsham Court, Henry Hoare at Stourhead, and the Earl Bathurst at Cirencester Park. The 'French Commodes' produced by his workshop were sometimes fitted with dressing slides as seen here and sometimes with a fitted top drawer. The closest example to this commode, with serpentine front and straight sides, sold Christies November 28, 2002, Lot 120 (provenance the Duke of Somerset). and another, Sothebys, April 21 2009, Lot 84. See: Wood, Lucy 'The Lady Lever Art Gallery, Catalogue of Commodes' 1994 (commode no.4) for further discussion. (James Weedon, September 2019)
Provenance
Bequeathed to the National Trust by Huttleston Rogers Broughton, 1st Lord Fairhaven (1896-1966) with the house and the rest of the contents.
Makers and roles
attributed to Henry Hill of Marlborough (fl.1740-1778), cabinetmaker attributed to Henry Hill of Marlborough (fl.1740-1778), furniture designer
References
Wood, 1994: Lucy Wood, The Lady Lever Art Gallery, Catalogue of Commodes, London, 1994, no.4