Pair of giltwood pier glasses and sidetables

British

Kenwood House

1750 - 1760

This pair of pier glasses was part of the first group of furniture supplied to William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, in the 1770s. They predate Adam's work at Kenwood and offer a rare insight into the early history of the house. They also represent mid eighteenth-century carved giltwood furniture at its most sophisticated. In 1922 the pieces were sold at the Kenwood auction and the catalogue shows them en suite in the Upper Hall. Their return to Kenwood helps to represent the early history of the house. Forming a further chapter in the refurbishing of Kenwood, they greatly enhance the presentation of the interiors.

• Medium: 1) giltwood, glass plate; 2) giltwood & marble
• Dimensions: 1) each 175 x 116cm; 2) each 80.5 x 113cm
• Art Fund Grant: £50000 (; Tax Remission)
• ArtFunded in: 1994
• Vendor: Private collection

Provenance

Probably commissioned by William Murray; 1st Earl of Mansfield; at Kenwoodc. 1755-1922; sold 1922.

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