Pair of 18th Century Matched Chests

Pair of 18th Century Matched Chests.

The matched pair of commodes are of a grand scale and well drawn with figured mahogany rectangular tops.

They have thumbnail mouldings that sit above two short and three long graduated drawers which retain the original gilded swan-neck handles and back plates.

The commodes stand on shallow ogee bracket feet which are original.

The commodes have a distinguished provenance as they were owned by The Right Hon. The Earl Howe, P.C., C.B.E., V.D., R.N.V.R.

Commander Chambré George William Penn Curzon (18 October 1898 – 7 May 1976), known as George Curzon, was a Royal Navy Commander, actor and father of the present Earl Howe.

Curzon, born in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, was the only son of diplomat the Hon. Frederick Curzon-Howe (a son of The 3rd Earl Howe) and his wife, the actress Ellis Jeffreys. Curzon trained for the Navy at The Royal Navy College, Osborne on the Isle of Wight, and first saw action in the First World War. He retired from the Navy as a Lieutenant Commander then served as a King’s Messenger before turning to the West End stage in 1930.

He appeared in many films, including several directed by Alfred Hitchcock before moving to the US and Hollywood.

A brief interruption to his career came in 1939 when, after playing a minor role in Alfred Hitchcock’s Jamaica Inn, he again enlisted in the Navy during World War II.

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This object is eligible for a Certificate of BADA Provenance

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