For Immediate Release
Press Release London
London | +44 (0)20 7293 6000 | Matthew Weigman | [email protected]
Mitzi Mina| [email protected]
Sotheby’s to Sell the Collection of the Late
Francis Egerton and Peter Maitland,
pioneers of the “Mallett Style”
- A superlative collection showcasing the best in 18th-century
craftsmanship, formed by two people whose taste has defined many of
the finest furniture collections of our time
ON WEDNESDAY, 28 APRIL 2010, Sotheby’s
London will offer for sale a collection of
English furniture which - in its exceptional
quality and aesthetic appeal - defines the
connoisseurship and unfailing eye of two of
the greatest protagonists ever to have worked
in the furniture business: Francis Egerton and
Peter Maitland. Together, the 150 lots to be
offered - each one exactingly chosen for its
artistic merit - are expected to realise a sum in
excess of £700,000.
As Chairman of Mallett from 1955 to 1983,
Francis Egerton was the defining force behind
A view of the hallway at Abbey House, Dorset
(full details of pieces shown given below)
the now widely celebrated “Mallett style” – a
style that has informed many of the greatest collections of our time. His insistence on the
highest quality was legendary, and that, combined with his own unerring sense of style,
made for a compelling combination. Upon his death, Egerton’s business mantle passed to his
friend and colleague Peter Maitland who, possessed with a similarly keen aesthetic sense,
continued faultlessly to honour the traditions and standards of his predecessor. In addition to
the leading role at Mallett, Maitland also inherited from Egerton something of even greater
importance: he became custodian of Egerton’s private collection of furniture and artefacts – a
superlative collection in which the essence of Egerton’s celebrated aesthetic is fully captured.
It is this collection - rich in shining examples of 18th-century craftsmanship – that, following
the death of Maitland in October last year, will now come to sale.
As custodian of Egerton’s bequest, Maitland not only
preserved and cared for each of the pieces he inherited,
he also provided for them a perfect home. With its
perfect
proportions
and
light-filled,
airy
spaces,
Maitland’s magnificent house in Witchampton, Dorset,
provided an ideal foil for the exquisitely carved gilt pier
glasses, sumptuous walnut furniture, Chinese porcelain
and other artects that make up this exceptional collection.
Highlights include:
An important Queen Anne giltwood pier mirror, commissioned circa
1705 by Sir Cecil Bishopp for Parham Park, in Sussex.
With its distinctive strapwork and cresting, both the carving and the form
of this magnificent piece relate closely to a group of pieces made by the
celebrated Pelletier family. Trained in Paris, but based in London from the
early 1680s onwards, this exceptionally talented family of Hugenot carvers
and gilders supplied furniture to illustrious patrons such as the 1st Duke of
Montagu (Charles II’s Ambassador to the Court of Louis XIV at Versailles)
and William III (for his apartments at Hampton Court Palace).
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•
A George I figured walnut side table, c. 1725, est:
£25,000-40,000 (illustrated right and in cover image)
•
A Chinese polychrome and gilt-painted twelve
panel screen, 19th century, est: £80,000-120,000
(illustrated left and below)
•
A pair of George I figured walnut and parcel-gilt side chairs, c. 1725, in the manner
of Thomas Roberts Junior, est: £20,000-30,000. (See cover image)
•
A Queen Anne gilt-gesso girandole wall mirror, circa 1715, est: £12,000-18,000. (See
cover image)
IMAGES AVAILABLE VIA EMAIL
*Estimates do not include buyer’s premium
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