The mahogany chest, featured in Dealers’ Diary (ATG No 2494), bore two labels for Grendey. He was one of only a few English cabinetmakers of his day who regularly affixed trade labels to his furniture. Few labels survive, however, with an even smaller number found on four-drawer chests such as this one.
At the time of the discovery the dealership’s Mark Pargeter said that it was, to his knowledge, just the third caddy-topped chest in 300 years to be discovered bearing Grendey’s original trade label.
One of the drawers carries two original trade labels for the maker.
The c.1739-40 chest, offered for a price in the region of £30,000, had its original open fret handles and skeleton escutcheons and original bracket feet with lignum vitae roller casters.
Since the sale, the dealership has discovered another George II mahogany caddy chest attributable to Grendey on merit along with a mahogany secretaire linen press, attributable to the same maker. Both are now for sale.
