Commode
ca. 1875 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This commode, or bedside table, is part of a suite of bedroom furniture designed by the architect and designer Thomas Jeckyll (1827-1881) for the master bedroom of 1 Holland Park, London, the home of A. A. or ‘Alecco’ Ionides (1840-1898). 'Alecco' and Jeckyll were friends, having studied art together in Paris in the late 1850s, and Ionides commissioned this bedroom furniture after his marriage to Isabella Sechiari in 1875.
Jeckyll used many decorative motifs and details derived from Chinese sources for the suite of bedroom furniture. On this commode the combination of dark and light timbers, ebony mouldings, lattice-work panels and small curved brackets below the stretchers all show the influence of Chinese designs. The name, commode, indicates that the cupboard was intended for a chamber pot.
Jeckyll used many decorative motifs and details derived from Chinese sources for the suite of bedroom furniture. On this commode the combination of dark and light timbers, ebony mouldings, lattice-work panels and small curved brackets below the stretchers all show the influence of Chinese designs. The name, commode, indicates that the cupboard was intended for a chamber pot.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Walnut with ebony mouldings, brass handle and leather top |
| Brief description | walnut with ebony mouldings, brass handle and leather top; designed by Thomas Jeckyll for No. 1 Holland Park, London, British 1875 |
| Physical description | Commode, square panelled upper section with moulded top covered in leather and door with brass handle; lower section formed of panels of lattice work with four legs joined by stretchers; the panelled upper section and lattice work are framed by mouldings and incised decoration runs along the stretchers and rails of the lattice work. |
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| Style | |
| Production type | Unique |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Given by Thomas Stainton |
| Object history | This commode was part of the suite of furniture designed by Thomas Jeckyll for the master bedroom at No. 1 Holland Park, London, the home of A.A. (Alecco) Ionides. The suite also included a dressing table (W.13-1972), a wardrobe, an overmantel and a wall cabinet, all illustrated in Thomas Jeckyll: Architect and Designer, 1827-1881 by Susan Weber Soros and Catherine Arbuthnot, Yale University Press, 2003, pp. 187-189. Family papers (Soros and Arbuthnott, p. 187) mention the involvement of William Holland and Sons in the decoration of 1 Holland Park and this large firm of cabinet makers may have made the furniture also. The commode, and matching dressing table (W.13-1972), belonged to Mrs Penelope Hotchkis, the youngest child of Alecco Ionides. She sold both pieces to Charles Handley-Read. |
| Historical context | Thomas Jeckyll was originally commissioned by the Greek merchant, financier and collector, Alexander Constantine Ionides, to design a new wing for No.1 Holland Park, London, in 1870-72. In 1875 Ionides gave the house to his son, A.A. (Alecco) upon his marriage to Isabella Sechiari and Alecco commissioned designs for a suite of furniture for the master bedroom in the new wing from Jeckyll. Alecco and Jeckyll were old friends and members of the 'Paris Gang', which also included James Whistler and George Du Maurier, all of whom had studied art in Paris in the late 1850s. |
| Summary | This commode, or bedside table, is part of a suite of bedroom furniture designed by the architect and designer Thomas Jeckyll (1827-1881) for the master bedroom of 1 Holland Park, London, the home of A. A. or ‘Alecco’ Ionides (1840-1898). 'Alecco' and Jeckyll were friends, having studied art together in Paris in the late 1850s, and Ionides commissioned this bedroom furniture after his marriage to Isabella Sechiari in 1875. Jeckyll used many decorative motifs and details derived from Chinese sources for the suite of bedroom furniture. On this commode the combination of dark and light timbers, ebony mouldings, lattice-work panels and small curved brackets below the stretchers all show the influence of Chinese designs. The name, commode, indicates that the cupboard was intended for a chamber pot. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.14-1972 |
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| Record created | July 26, 2001 |
| Record URL |
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