A pair of monumental George IV gilt-lacquered-brass vase ornaments, circa 1823, supplied by William Collins and reconfigured from their original form in the 20th century

Supplied to Hugh Percy, 3^rd Duke of Northumberland (1785–1847) for Northumberland House, London;

thence by descent to Henry Percy, 11^th Duke of Northumberland (1953–1995) until sold Christie's London, 17 November 1988, lot 103;

with Mayfair Gallery, London.

These extraordinary objects are in two pieces, with the elaborate top detaching to leave wine coolers or jardinières of a monumental scale that reflects the importance of the aristocratic residence for which they were commissioned. Four vase ornaments of this form exist; the two others have five and four lions to the upper section and sold in the Sotheby’s New York sale of the Safra collection in 2011.¹ They are rare survivors from the splendid London residence of the Percy family, Northumberland House, and their constituent parts have been recorded in multiple inventories, engravings, watercolours and photographs of the Percy residences.

The bases and the upper sections of these pieces were originally created separately and were likely combined during the twentieth century. One of the Safra examples is inscribed “MANUFACTURED by JOHNSTON BROOKES & CO., 32 New Street Square / FOR WM COLLINS, 227 Strand, 1823”, allowing us to cross-reference to a huge seventeen-year commission that started in 1822 and ended up costing an eye-watering £17,640 (approximately £1.2m today).² William Collins’ trade card proudly announces that he was “Glass Manufacturer to her Majesty & the Royal Family” (D,2.1874) but this sizeable commission for the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland must have been one of his most significant works, and one of his bills of 23^rd May 1823 specifies “4 Superb Chandelier executed in Grecian Metal”.³ The upper sections of the present vase ornaments almost certainly formed part of these chandeliers, and these six-lion examples are recorded in the 1847 inventory of Northumberland House as being hung in the Grand Stair Case and the Saloon.⁴ The Grand Staircase, which had been constructed by Thomas Cundy as part of the Regency renovation of the house, was well-known and there are several Victorian engravings that show the chandelier in-situ: these include an 1851 issue of The Illustrated London News⁵ and the 1873 book Old and New London.⁶

The bases, meanwhile, have also been recorded within Northumberland House, and were located in the Ballroom and also the famous Glass Drawing Room that was designed by Robert Adam and is now permanently displayed in the V&A (W.3:1 to 92-1955). They are captured in two watercolours created around 1874, just before the demolition.⁷ After the destruction of Northumberland House, these bases appear to have been moved to the family’s glorious residence in Middlesex, Syon House, since they were photographed there for Country Life in 1919 in the famous entrance hall.⁸

In terms of the present combination of base and upper section, it is logical to deduce that they were combined in this way after the 1919 photo of the bases at Syon House and before all four were first offered at auction at Christie’s in 1988.⁹ A 1900 drawing of the upper section of the present ornaments, executed by the engineering firm Drake & Gorham and describing “four massive standards with […] two six-way lions”, mentions that they were surmounted by a “thirty-one arm” candelabrum. Sadly this was not documented in detail, but this drawing possibly suggests that the upper sections have also lived through a different configuration since they were removed from Northumberland House. It is unsurprising that successive decorative schemes have tried to find new ways to incorporate the sophisticated metalwork and sumptuous ornament of these objects, which are superb examples of design and craftsmanship under George IV.

¹ Sotheby’s New York, Property from the Collections of Lily and Edmond J. Safra, 2011, lot 739.

² Northumberland Archives, U.111.82. The £1.2m figure based on the Currency Converter of the National Archives, available at: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/currency-converter/

³ Northumberland Archives, U.111.8d.

⁴ Northumberland Archives, H.VIII;l.b.

⁵ The London Illustrated News, 23^rd August 1851, p.8. Available at: <https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0001578/18510823/017/0008>

⁶ E. Walford, Old & New London: A Narrative of its History, its People and its Places, London, London, vol 3, p.138. Available at: < https://archive.org/details/oldnewlondonnarr03thor/page/138/

⁷ Both watercolours are in the collection of the Duke of Northumberland. They are reproduced in the Christie’s 1988 catalogue and can also be seen online at Bridgeman Images, refs NTE6375444 (Ballroom) and NTE6375445 (Glass Drawing Room).

⁸ Country Life, 6 December 1919, pp.730-731, figs. 3 and 4. They are also visible in several photographs from the shoot that were not printed but can be seen on the Country Life digital image archive, e.g. FCH000116805, available at <https://www.futurecontenthub.com/asset/126200/>

⁹ Christie’s London, 17 November 1988, lot 102 and 103 (the present lot).