Mirrors
THE GODOLPHIN PIER GLASSES ATTRIBUTED TO JOHN BELCHIER
W: 34” / 86.25cm
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Provenance
Francis Godolphin (1678-1766), 2nd Earl of Godolphin for Godolphin House, Cornwall or Stable Yard, St. James’ Palace, London and by descent
Property of a Nobleman, Christie’s London, 7 April 1983, lot 51 (GBP 60,000)
Acquired by Henry Francis Dupont, Winterthur Museum, Delaware, reputedly for his private collection
Christie’s, New York, 2 February 1991, lot 208 (USD 143,000)
Christie’s New York, 22 April 1999, Lot 143
Private Collection: East Coast, USA
Literature
Bowett, A., Early Georgian Furniture 1715-1740 (Woodbridge, 2009) p. 292, plates 6:50-1
Child, G., World Mirrors 1650-1900 (London, 1990), p. 78, fig. 51
Cornforth, J., Early Georgian Interiors (London, 2004), pp. 280-85
Edwards, R. and Jourdain, M., Georgian Cabinet-Makers, rev. ed. (London, 1946) p. 99, fig. 33
Pier glasses supplied by Belchier in 1723 and 1726 for John Meller, Erddig Hall, Wales (NT 1146961 & NT 1146960)
Mirror attributed to Belchier in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Accession No. 46.116)
Mirror illustrated Synge, L., Mallett’s Great English Furniture (London, 1991), p. 89, fig. 94
Publications
Beard, G. and Goodison, J., English Furniture 1500-1840 (Oxford, 1987), p. 67, fig. 4
PAIR OF GEORGE I GILT GESSO PIER GLASSES
Attributed to John Belchier, circa 1725
Commissioned for the Godolphin family
A pair of gilt gesso pier glasses with stepped arched frames carved with acanthus scrolls and eagle-head terminals, each surmounted by a dolphin naiant. The mirrors retain their original mercury plates.
The form and carving relate closely to documented work by John Belchier at Erddig Hall, where he supplied pier glasses in 1723 and 1726. The latter incorporates similarly conceived scrollwork and eagle-head ornament. Further related examples include a pier glass in the Untermyer Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
The dolphin crest indicates a heraldic commission and is associated with the Godolphin family of Cornwall, who used the dolphin as a family emblem. The probable patron was Francis Godolphin, 2nd Earl of Godolphin (1678–1766). His uncle, Dr Henry Godolphin, was Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral, close to Belchier’s premises and an institution for which Belchier supplied furnishings.
The mirrors were later acquired by Henry Francis du Pont and formed part of the collection at Winterthur.
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