ATTRIBUTED TO GILES GRENDEY, CIRCA 1740

This rare and magnificent chest of drawers and its matching bureau cabinet (see lot 22) is the only surviving set of its type known to exist. They are attributed to the celebrated cabinet-maker Giles Grendey (1693-1780) and represent the pinnacle of his oeuvre. Grendey’s lavish, intricately and whimsically detailed japanned furniture has been continuously prized by renowned collectors and connoisseurs of English furniture; the famed scarlet japanned suite he supplied to the Duke of Infantado for Castle Lazcano in Northern Spain around 1740 is considered one of the most important suites of English furniture ever made. Essentially unknown for centuries until their sale in the contents from two villas owned by members of the Pallavicini family, the Villa Negrotto Cambioso and the Villa Durazzo Pallavicini, this extraordinary set may well represent one of Grendey’s most significant commissions to an Italian patron who was clearly fascinated with the exotic art of the Far East.
Grendey ran a substantial business from 1726 when he took on his first apprentices until at least the late 1760s; in 1766 he was appointed Master of the Joiners' Company. Described at his wife's death as a 'great Dealer in the Cabinet way', in 1755 at the time of his daughter's marriage to the Royal cabinet-maker, John Cobb (d. 1778), he was referred to as an 'eminent Timber Merchant'. While few payments to him have been traced in country house archives, he supplied a good number of walnut and mahogany pieces to aristocratic houses including Longford Castle, Stourhead and Barn Elms. Unlike his fellow cabinet-makers, Grendey was also deeply involved in the timber and export business, which may have led to his production of japanned furniture for the export trade, notably for the Iberian peninsula where such work was much in demand. Accounts in the Public Record Office indicate that England exported considerable quantities of furniture to Spain and Portugal in the first half of the eighteenth century. Grendey clearly had a substantial export business as early as 1731, when a fire on his premises resulted in an enormous loss of £1,000 in furniture which he 'had pack'd for Exportation against the next Morning' (R. W. Symonds, 'Giles Grendey and the Export Trade of English Furniture to Spain,’ Apollo, 1935, pp. 337-342). Recently discovered labeled mirrors in Norway also indicate that Grendey exported goods to Scandinavia.
THE DESIGN
The richness of the decoration on this chest and its matching bureau cabinet, is complimented by their hardware which is among the most lavish ever seen in English japanned furniture. The elaborate foliate cartouche-form handles and sculptural pins in the form of nautilus shells blend seamlessly into the japanning and echo the cartouches in the gilt bases. The form of the chest is unique in Grendey's oeuvre and the bureau cabinet's swelling ‘sarcophagus’ base is incredibly rare. Tellingly, of the related japanned bureau cabinets that share this form, three also have foreign provenance which creates a strong case that they were specifically created for export. Although there is an earlier history of scarlet japanned chests and writing tables such as a similarly rare example also with large scale raised decoration depicted on a scarlet ground originally in the collection of Sir Philip Sassoon, Bt. at Trent Park, Hertfordshire, (sold Christie's London, Works of Art from Collections of The Cholmondeley Family and The Late Sir Philip Sassoon, Bt. from Houghton, 8 December 1994, lot 114: £170,000 including premium) other comparable later examples are currently unknown.
THE PROVENANCE
As two of the richest works attributed to Grendey, this chest and its matching bureau cabinet are an accurate reflection of the wealth and power of the Pallavicini. Although it is not yet known how they came into the family, they have a documented history of acquiring English japanned furniture. Four early 18th century English bureau cabinets and a chair are part of a larger suite at the Palazzo Pallavicini in Rome (Hans Huth, Lacquer of the West, London, 1971, p.84 and pls, 57-58 and 84) and were presumably commissioned by Giovanni Battista Rospigliosi Pallavicini after he bought the palazzo in 1704. English japanned furniture was clearly an object of enduring fascination as a George II japanned tall case clock offered at Christie’s, London, 19 July 2021 had a label stating 'proprietario signor marchese Andrea Pallavicini Ramudan' on the back of the front door, presenting yet another tantalizing connection.
The Genoese Giovanni Battista Pallavicini (d.1742) is also a compelling candidate for commissioning these works. A trading center, Genoa was also one of the few Italian regions which did not have a strong tradition of japanned or lacquered furniture. It is certainly possible that the Villa Negrotto Cambioso Villa Durazzo Pallavicini, both located in or very close to Genoa, would have been occupied by his descendants who could have sold these rare and unique works.