Furniture

An Impressive 18th Century Palladian Style Fireplace in Statuary and Contrasting Jasper Marbles with Sienna Marble Column Jambs From the London, Westminster workshops of Sir Henry Cheere (1703–1781) made for the 2nd Earl of Ossory for his seat at Ampthill Park, Bedfordshire, probably during improvements made by Sir William Chambers to the principle rooms and for building the two wings, between 1768–1772. The moulded breakfront shelf stepping forward over the jambs is decorated with lamb’s tongue and egg and dart. The frieze centred with a large rectangular tablet which drops into the upper member of the architrave, of choice specimen marble jasper of unusual and rare greenish hues, flanked by yellow coloured Jasper marble panels, the rectangular Jasper end blockings decorated with open sunflower heads with curled petals in statuary, upheld by the three-quarter round, tapering Sienna marble columns with Roman Ionic order statuary capitals and bases fronting the statuary pilasters. The whole rests on Statuary marble blocks. A closely related coloured drawing of a columned fireplace, with no sculptural decoration, from the Cheere's workshop can be seen in the Victoria Museum, D715(2)-1887 (one of 28 coloured designs of fireplaces). In 1769 the young Earl of Upper Ossory bought in the architect Sir William Chambers to extend and modernise the house adding East (kitchen service...