CIRCA 1760-65

CALKE ABBEY
A nearly identical mirror, possibly the pair to the present lot, is in the National Trust’s collection at Calke Abbey, Derbyshire (NT 288052).

When Calke Abbey was transferred to the National Trust in 1985, it had remained in the Harpur family since its construction in the early 18th century. Sir John Harpur, 4th Baronet (1680–1741), came of age in 1701 as one of Derbyshire’s wealthiest men and set about transforming the house he had inherited—built on the site of a medieval priory—into a grand residence reflective of his status. His grandson later expanded the surrounding park, and when Sir Henry Harpur, 7th Baronet, inherited Calke in 1789, he completed many of the estate’s unfinished projects. A notoriously private and reclusive family, the Harpurs altered the house’s interiors and amassed new collections over generations. Historian Howard Colvin, in Calke Abbey, Derbyshire: A Hidden House Revealed, notes that inventories from 1670, 1681, 1741, 1748, and 1841 document numerous objects that cannot be traced today. It is quite possible that the present mirror was once part of the collection, long separated from its pair, which remains in 'The Boudoir', a room dedicated to displaying china, local Ticknall pottery, and Old Master paintings.

Sir Vauncey Harpur-Crewe, 10th Baronet, was renowned for his vast natural history collection, much of which he acquired on his own hunting expeditions. Upon his death, his eldest daughter, Hilda, inherited the estate and, to settle death duties, sold half of her father’s collection along with a selection of books. The estate then passed to her nephew Charles and later to his brother Henry, who faced the burden of high capital taxation. Determined to preserve Calke, Henry worked to secure its future, ultimately ensuring its transfer to the National Trust.