A GEORGE III FIGURED MAHOGANY AND CROSSBANDED SERPENTINE CHEST, CIRCA 1770

A GEORGE III FIGURED MAHOGANY AND CROSSBANDED SERPENTINE CHEST ALMOST CERTAINLY BY THOMAS CHIPPENDALE OR JOHN COBB, CIRCA 1770 With solid mahogany drawer linings 89cm high, 109cm wide, 61cm deep overall Fitted with 'S' pattern escutcheons, this fine quality chest has a rare constructional element that points to Chippendale's authorship, the use of S-pattern keyholes, this detail is almost unique to him. In his 1768 account to Lady Shelburne, Chippendale mentioned that a commode table has 'very good spring and tumbler locks and S-bitted keys' (Gilbert, op. cit., vol. I, p. 253, and vol. II, p. 147, fig. 267). The intriguing asymmetry of the S-shaped brass escutcheon would have been Chippendale's primary objective, though the encumbrance would also have minimally increased the level of security of the lock. This keyhole pattern has very occasionally been recorded on furniture attributed to Chippendale's competitor John Cobb, for example on the commode sold anonymously, Christie's New York, 19 April 2001, lot 148. However, nearly all occurrences are on furniture attributed to Chippendale.