G444

The elegant breakfront shelf is supported by a fluted frieze with alternated enclosed paterae and full-length figures of nymphs, ending with urns on the cornerblocks. A finely carved reeded detail frames the opening and the under frieze. The fine manner of this composition recalls the work of architect Robert Adam as interior decorator. In the present chimneypiece classical architectural elements and figures have been gently reinterpreted through the 18th century vocabulary typical of the architect, who is considered the most prominent exponent of British Neo-classicism.

A comparable composition is the one designed by Robert Adam for Edwin Lascelles's dressing room in 1768, shown in the sketch here below.