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Edward Roworth (1880-1964)


last quarter 18th century each with a D-shaped top painted with a central classical scene within a painted frame, one depicting Telemachus returning to Penelope, after Angelica Kauffman, the other Telemachus at the Court of Sparta, after Angelica Kauffman, and surmounted by an urn and swags further flanked by urns within oval reserves all on a pale blue ground, above a frieze painted with urns and scrolling foliage also on a pale blue ground, raised on tapering turned fluted legs, headed by female masks within the frieze and ending in reeded ball-form feet. height 35in., width 5ft. 1ain., depth 22ain. (88.9cm., 156.2cm., 56.5cm.) Conceived in the neo-classical taste, these tables are closely related to a cabinet formerly at 20 St. James's Square, the London house of Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn. A wealthy landowner whose country seat was Wynnstay in Denbighshire, he derived his income from rents and mineral rights commencing the building 20 St. James's Square in 1771. Under the direction of the architect Robert Adam a house was created which was intended for lavish entertaining, the interiors being formed and decorated in the full neo-classical style. The cabinet, which is illustrated in M. Jourdain and F. Rose, English Furniture, The Georgian Period (1750-1830), London: Batsford, 1953, plate I, is of slightly breakfront form, the upper part composed of three panels, the center one decorated with a painting after Angelica Kauffman's Eurykleia Wakening Penelope. (The original composition for this was painted in 1772, and is now in the Voralberger Landesmuseum, Bregenz). It is contained within an identical frame to the tablets on the tables with the same swags suspended from white petalled paterae on a coral ground with pearl borders surmounted by a conforming urn, with crossed palm branches below enclosing a seated draped classical figure within a circle, and with similar scrolled foliage with flower heads. The gilded canted corners have identical female masks as on the aprons of the tables, the giltwood stand having six legs, which are also identical to those on the tables. Certainly these points, together with the classical subjects after paintings by Angelica Kauffman which center the tops illustrating further scenes from the life of Penelope clearly indicate that the tables and cabinet were created as part of a suite. Unfortunately, although 20 St. James's Square still retains much of its original sumptuous interior which has been recently restored, many of the furnishings, some of which were designed by Adam, were dispersed early in the 20th century when the Williams-Wynn family leased the building, and subsequently sold it in the 1920s. A number of early views of the interior exist, but neither the tables nor the cabinet appears in any of these. A number of drawings by Robert Adam are in the collection of the Soane Museum relating to the commission to furnish 20 St. James's Square which relate to existing furniture, but apart from a few accounts relating to the construction of the house including suppliers such as Edward Gascoigne who provided door furniture and locks, and Joseph Rose the plasterer, none appears to have survived relating to cabinet-makers. It is also recorded that Antonio Zucchi painted the tablets, which decorated a pair of book cabinets for Lady Williams-Wynn, these being made by Richard Collins the carpenter and Clerk of Works. It is certainly feasible that the tablets on the table tops and on the front of the cabinets were painted by Zucchi, who married Kauffman in 1781, and specialized in work of this kind, both for furniture and for decorative designs for walls and ceilings. Another pair of tables relating to the present examples were formerly in the collection of Mrs. John E. Rovensky, sold at Parke-Bernet Galleries, January 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 1957, lots 968-969. These have similar decoration overall, the tops having panels depicting sages with zodiac signs, and supported on tapered panelled legs with parcel gilding. The group of furniture, which can be ascribed to the same maker also includes a demilune commode in the possession of Coutts Bank, London. The top of this has an identical tablet to one of the present tables depicting Telemachus at the Court of Sparta within an identical frame supported by scrolling foliage and surmounted by an urn. The border is closely related, and the front has a tablet depicting Maria, from Sterne's A Sentimental Journey. This painting is also after Angelica Kauffman. Another pair of tables with closely related tops which were possibly at Carlton House and which are stamped G.IV.R. are divided between the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Metropolitan Museum. (See: D. Fitz-Gerald, Georgian Furniture, Victoria and Albert Museum, 1969, figs. 115a & b). Literature: Lady Victoria Manners and Dr. G. C. Williamson, Angelica Kauffman, R.A., Her Life and Her Work, N.D., between pp.216-217, Telemachus Returning to Penelope, by Angelica Kauffman, from the collection of E. A. Filene W.W. Roworth, Ed., Angelica Kauffman, A Continental artist in Georgian England, Royal Pavilion Art Gallery and Museums, Brighton, 1992, p. 127, figs.105 and 106, the Coutts Commode, and Telemachus at the Court of Sparta, after Angelica Kauffman Country Life Magazine, John Martin Robinson, '20 St. James's Square, London', November 2, 1989, pp. 152-157 E. Harris, The Furniture of Robert Adam, 1963, fig. 47, a commode designed by Robert Adam for the Countess of Derby's Dressing Room.

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