George II Style Gilt Wood Wolf Console After William Kent by Lenygon and Co

This rare and exceptional console table in the George II style is stamped Lenygon & Co Ltd. and was made in England and would date from circa 1905. Elements of this design are related to those on a table made for Longford Castle in 1740 which is now displayed in the Victoria & Albert Museum. A near identical console as the one offered here and very likely also made by Lenygon was put up for auction by Van Ham in Cologne Germany in May 18 2013. The console was acquired by an English Dealer for $90,000 US including commission.

The console features two life-sized carved and gilded wolves sitting on either side of the front corners looking backwards at each other. The console base is painted dark brown resembling bronze which sets off the gilded wood decoration. The two wolves heads support a painted and gilded apron decorated with vitruvian scolls. Also joining the wolf heads are two hanging swags of gilded acorns connecting with a central large gilded draped classical head of Athena. Two carved and gilded S shaped rear ‘legs’ join the base to the apron. Truly a tour de force of design and execution. A conforming contemporary marble top of opalescent labradorite further adds to the uniqueness of the piece.

The table was made by Lenygon and Co. This company was founded in 1904 by Francis Lenygon (1877-1943) who was trained as a cabinetmaker at the South Kensington Museum in London. Soon after he opened his shop he teamed up with Charles Duveen, son of Sir Joseph Duveen and through this association, the firm of Lenygon and Co quickly became the cabinetmaker of choice to England’s aristocracy.

Traveling to the United States in 1910, Lenygon gained several wealthy and sophisticated clients who relied on him to furnish authentic and replica interiors in period styles for the stately homes being built in the affluent parts of the US. A notable commission was Nelson Rockefeller, who hired Lenygon to consult on the reconstruction of Colonial Williamsburg and its Governor’s Palace. His second wife, Jeanette Becker Lenygon was also a well-respected interior designer, best known for her redecoration of several rooms in the White House during John F. Kennedy’s presidency and for the interior redesign of Gracie Mansion for New York mayor John Lindsay.

Dimensions: 32″H (81cm) x 23.5″D (60cm) x 65″W (165 cm)

Ref FL PB 0300765