A GEORGE IV GILT-BRONZE-MOUNTED EBONY, AMARANTH AND MAHOGANY BREAKFRONT SIDE CABINET

This cabinet, both in its design and construction, bears remarkable similarities to work completed by Robert Hume and Son, for William Beckford at both Fonthill Abbey and Lansdown Tower. The overall form is similar to the bases of four oak coffers and stands supplied by Hume circa 1831, which were located at either end of the Scarlet Drawing Room, and illustrated in W. Maddox, Views of Lansdown Tower, Bath, 1844. Although the present lot slightly pre-dates the Lansdown Tower commission, it is highly conceivable that this cabinet with its firm attribution to Robert Hume and Sons may have been a Beckford commission, particularly given the closeness and long-standing relationship between Beckford and the firm (see footnote to lot 48).