Freddie’s Favourite Piano Stool
An English gilt and black japanned satinwood duet stool, circa 1920-30, attributed to S. Hille & Co.
Auction Closed
September 8, 06:42 PM GMT
Estimate
1,000 - 1,500 GBP
Lot Details
Description
An English gilt and black japanned satinwood duet stool, circa 1920-30, attributed to S. Hille & Co.
the hinged padded top covered in black and gold silk fabric by The Gainsborough Silk Weaving Co. Ltd. and opening to reveal storage compartment, the presentation rail centred with a reserve depicting chinoiserie figures above pierced fret apron, on chamfered square legs with fret brackets
55 by 83 by 36cm., 21¾ by 32¾ by 14¼ in.
Acquired from Harrods, London, for Stafford Terrace in circa 1977.
This was Freddie’s preferred ‘at home’ piano stool and was used mostly with his Yamaha grand piano, in part because it was very elegant, but primarily because it afforded the most comfort.
It belongs to a suite of furniture that Freddie acquired from Harrods’ Antiques Department in Knightsbridge for Stafford Terrace in circa 1977 (see lots 526-529, 536-538, 540 & 542). The suite is attributed to the London firm S. Hille & Co. and was an extensive group comprised of a cabinet, a pair of side chairs, a pair of armchairs, a sofa, a nest of tables, a cakestand and two centre tables. The quality of the pieces is very high; they effuse luxury and exoticism, and recall 18th- and early 19th-century stylistic motifs in very functional 20th-century forms.
The firm was founded by Russian-Jewish emigré Salamon Hille in 1906 and became famous for this sort of costly ‘Chinese Chippendale’ furniture, which they retailed to a largely American audience in the 1920s, keeping the business afloat during the interwar years.
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