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Mirrors

Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: THE GODOLPHIN PIER GLASSES ATTRIBUTED TO JOHN BELCHIER, ENGLISH, C. 1725
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: THE GODOLPHIN PIER GLASSES ATTRIBUTED TO JOHN BELCHIER, ENGLISH, C. 1725
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: THE GODOLPHIN PIER GLASSES ATTRIBUTED TO JOHN BELCHIER, ENGLISH, C. 1725
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: THE GODOLPHIN PIER GLASSES ATTRIBUTED TO JOHN BELCHIER, ENGLISH, C. 1725
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: THE GODOLPHIN PIER GLASSES ATTRIBUTED TO JOHN BELCHIER, ENGLISH, C. 1725
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: THE GODOLPHIN PIER GLASSES ATTRIBUTED TO JOHN BELCHIER, ENGLISH, C. 1725
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: THE GODOLPHIN PIER GLASSES ATTRIBUTED TO JOHN BELCHIER, ENGLISH, C. 1725
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: THE GODOLPHIN PIER GLASSES ATTRIBUTED TO JOHN BELCHIER, ENGLISH, C. 1725
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: THE GODOLPHIN PIER GLASSES ATTRIBUTED TO JOHN BELCHIER, ENGLISH, C. 1725

THE GODOLPHIN PIER GLASSES ATTRIBUTED TO JOHN BELCHIER

ENGLISH, C. 1725
H: 86” / 218.5cm
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

 

COMPARE

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 

 

An Exceptional Pair of George I Gilt Gesso Pier Glasses

Attributed to John Belchier, Circa 1725

Commissioned for the Godolphin Family

 

Overview and Design

This exceptional pair of George I gilt gesso pier glasses, attributed to John Belchier, represents the finest in early 18th-century English design. Boldly conceived and intricately carved, each features a stepped arched frame enriched with vigorous acanthus scrolls, eagle-head terminals, and a heraldic dolphin crest—a motif unmistakably associated with the Godolphin family.

The pierced crestings, deep relief carving, and original mercury mirror plates reflect the superb craftsmanship characteristic of Belchier’s workshop. Architecturally strong yet richly ornamental, the mirrors embody the theatrical grandeur of the Baroque while anticipating the restraint and symmetry of the Palladian style.

 

Comparative Examples and Documentary Parallels

These mirrors compare closely with the two pier glasses supplied by Belchier to Erddig Hall, Wales, for the principal bedchambers—on 15 July 1723 and 6 June 1726—at the considerable sums of £36 and £50. The earlier example shares this pair’s stepped rectangular form, while the later 1726 mirror shows striking parallels in its bold scrolls and eagle heads.

The £50 price paid for a single mirror in 1726 highlights the exceptional value and prestige such objects held at the time of commission.

 

Belchier’s Oeuvre and Workshop Characteristics

The present mirrors align closely with other works attributed to Belchier, including:
• The stepped pier glass in the Untermyer Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Another formerly with Gerald Hochschild

Both feature the same distinctive combination of scrollwork and eagle-head terminals. Belchier, described in the London Evening Post as “a very eminent cabinetmaker”, was one of the foremost artisans of his generation. His work at Erddig Hall, likely including the celebrated State Bed, is his best-documented commission, and eagle-head carving appears both on that bed and the present mirrors—further strengthening the attribution.

 

Heraldic Dolphin and Godolphin Patronage

One of the most distinctive and unusual features of these mirrors is the carved dolphin naiant in the pediment—clearly a heraldic device indicating commission by a titled patron. While the dolphin naiant appears in several noble coats of arms, it is most plausibly linked to the Godolphins of Helston and Rialton, Cornwall, where the dolphin had served as a family emblem since the 16th century.

Comparable dolphin imagery can be found in the National Trust’s collection (NT 169408)—parcel-gilt dolphins believed to have functioned as helmet crests for Sir William Godolphin.

 

Probable Patron: Francis Godolphin, 2nd Earl of Godolphin

The likely patron was Francis Godolphin, 2nd Earl of Godolphin (1678–1766), a senior courtier and government official. He held a number of prestigious roles, including:
• Lord of the Bedchamber
• Groom of the Stole
• Governor of the Scilly Isles

His uncle, Dr Henry Godolphin, was Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral, where Belchier had his premises and supplied furnishings—providing a likely link between patron and maker. Francis’s marriage to Lady Henrietta Churchill, daughter of the 1st Duke of Marlborough, placed the Godolphins at the centre of 18th-century aristocratic and political society. Notably, he was also one of the founding governors of the Foundling Hospital and the owner of the Godolphin Arabian, one of the foundation sires of the English thoroughbred.

 

Later Provenance: The Winterthur Museum

These mirrors also boast a prestigious 20th-century provenance, having been acquired by Henry Francis du Pont and held in the renowned Winterthur Museum collection. Their inclusion in this highly respected institution further underlines their historic and aesthetic significance.

 

Conclusion

Combining exceptional craftsmanship, iconographic specificity, and a direct link to both an eminent maker and a prominent aristocratic family, this pair of George I gilt gesso pier glasses stands among the most important survivals of early Georgian mirror design. Their originality, provenance, and artistic merit place them in the highest tier of 18th-century English decorative art.

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