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One of a pair of "Griffin Tripod" Stands
Designed and manufactured by: William Bullock (English, 1773–1849)
Possibly in conjunction with: George Bullock (English, 1777/78–1818)
Possibly in conjunction with: George Bullock (English, 1777/78–1818)
English
after 1805
Medium/Technique
Cast iron, wood, gesso, bronzed, painted, and gilded
Dimensions
32 x 12 x 12 in. (81.3 x 30.5 x 30.5 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase with funds donated by Horace Wood Brock and the Frank B. Bemis Fund
Accession Number2012.628.1
CollectionsEurope
ClassificationsFurniture – Tables, stands, screens
These griffin tripods are the earliest identified objects documenting the collaboration of the Bullock brothers. William’s innovative use of cast iron for fashionable, high-style furniture appears to be the earliest recorded example.
It is likely that William used George’s classical furniture to decorate the new Roman Gallery at his Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly, London, a museum which William commissioned to house his collection of curiosities brought back from the South Seas by Captain Cook (housed today in the British Museum). The masks, with their exaggerated ears embellishing each side of the triangular tops, may reflect William's interest in pre-Columbian artifacts or Greek masks.
It is likely that William used George’s classical furniture to decorate the new Roman Gallery at his Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly, London, a museum which William commissioned to house his collection of curiosities brought back from the South Seas by Captain Cook (housed today in the British Museum). The masks, with their exaggerated ears embellishing each side of the triangular tops, may reflect William's interest in pre-Columbian artifacts or Greek masks.
DescriptionThese griffin tripods are the earliest identified objects documenting the collaboration of the Bullock brothers. William’s innovative use of cast iron for fashionable, high-style furniture appears to be the earliest recorded example.
It is likely that William used George’s classical furniture to decorate the new Roman Gallery at his Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly, London, a museum which William commissioned to house his collection of curiosities brought back from the South Seas by Captain Cook (housed today in the British Museum). The masks, with their exaggerated ears embellishing each side of the triangular tops, may reflect William's interest in pre-Columbian artifacts or Greek masks.
It is likely that William used George’s classical furniture to decorate the new Roman Gallery at his Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly, London, a museum which William commissioned to house his collection of curiosities brought back from the South Seas by Captain Cook (housed today in the British Museum). The masks, with their exaggerated ears embellishing each side of the triangular tops, may reflect William's interest in pre-Columbian artifacts or Greek masks.
Marks
Impressed into each leg "W. BULLOCK PUB 1 JUNE 1805"
ProvenanceAbout 2010, purchased at auction in upstate New York by Yew Tree House Antiques, New York; 2011, sold by Yew Tree House Antiques to H. Blairman and Sons, London; 2012, sold by Blairman and Sons to the MFA. (Accession Date: October 24, 2012)