Regency Period Mahogany Secretaire Bookcase, Designs By Thomas Hope
London, United Kingdom
£14,447 per item
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Item details
Height
236.22 cm
Width
124.46 cm
Depth
46.99 cm
Wear conditions
Good
Wear conditions
Excellent
Shows little to no signs of wear and tear.
Good
May show slight traces of use in keeping with age. Most vintage and antique items fit into this condition.
Average
Likely to show signs of some light scratching and ageing but still remains in a fair condition.
Apparent Wear and Tear
Visible signs of previous use including scratches, chips or stains.
Please refer to condition report, images or make a seller enquiry for additional information.
Description
A fine quality early 19th century Regency period fiddle-back mahogany secretaire bookcase, in the manner of Thomas Hope, having scrolled and anthemion carved cornice with central applied bronze plaque depicting classical heads. The bookcase, with ebony framed panels throughout, having geometric glazing bars above secretaire drawer and panelled cupboard doors below, supported on bold lion's paw feet.
The tragedy and comedy masks, represented on the top of the bookcase, are possibly designed by Thomas Hope. Hope represented a series of comic and tragic masks in his book “Household Furniture” (pl. XXXVII), which derived from his drawings that he made during his Grand Tour between 1787 and 1795, probably in Greece or Italy. He included some of these masks in different designs in “Household Furniture” including the Blue John vases (pl. XIII, no.3, cat. no. 70), on cabinets and on the ends of several tables (pl. XX, no. 2-3; pl. XI, nos. 1-2). The bronzes on his own designed furniture pieces were executed by a French metalworker Alexis Decaix, who at the height of his career opened a shop in Old Bond Street, where he was selling bronze and ormolu objects.
The lion’s paw supports are also a distinctive trait of Hope’s designs. In 1795, during the Grand Tour, Thomas Hope visited Rome for the first time. During his stay he admired an ancient bath made of rosso antico, known as the Tomb of Agrippa, placed in the portico of the Pantheon, with lion’s paw endings. However, Hope’s most significant source is most likely to have been Charles Heathcote Tatham’s “Etchings… of Ancient Ornamental Architecture”, in which he illustrated the aforementioned ancient bath (pl. 95). A similar design to our Bookcase could also be found in Hope’s book “Household Furniture” (pl. 11 no. 2), represented as front and end of a large library or writing table.
Condition report:
Condition Report:
- Good.
- Repaired: small repairs due to age and wear.
- Upper part now lined in silk with down lights.
- Wear consistent with age and use.
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Returns
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Free collection available
Yes
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- Ships from London, United Kingdom
Cancellations and Returns
Last updated: 24th March 2025
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