Beschreibung:

American (Cincinnati), ca 1860s. A Cincinnati art-carved cabinet in walnut with oak secondary, carved by Henry Lindley Fry (1807-1895) and William Henry Fry (1830-1929), the upper case having a projecting cornice, two beveled glass doors opening to reveal three adjustable shelves, over a lower case with one dovetailed drawer, raised on cabriole legs and lion’s-paw feet. The whole with hand-carved decorations of grapes, grapevines and grape leaves, stylized rosettes, leaves and two figural heads; ht. 89.5, wd. 55, dp. 26 in. This exquisite and monumental cabinet descended in the family of Patrick M. Flannery, a prominent attorney in Covington, Kentucky. Flannery acquired the cabinet (and two other Fry-carved pieces of furniture) from the estate of United States Senator Richard P. Ernst (1858-1934) when he purchased Ernst’s home at 405 Garrard Street in Covington in 1937. From 1954 until recently the cabinet was an arresting presence at the Flannery home on Riverside Drive in Covington. The cabinet was most certainly carved by Henry L. Fry and his son William H. Fry. The abundance of skillfully carved naturalistic motifs and the eclectic Italianate style of the piece closely resemble the work of the Frys. Additionally, the overall decorative treatment of the cabinet has distinct links to the eminent Longworth family of Cincinnati, a family who was instrumental in the success of the Frys' carving business. Henry and William Fry’s importance extended beyond their individual commissions to their roles as teachers and they are credited with launching one of the most important manifestations of the Aesthetic movement in the United States, the Cincinnati art-carved furniture movement. The Frys were originally from Bath, England, where Henry completed an apprenticeship in carving. He maintained a business as a cabinet carver in Cheltenham, England in the late 1830s and 1840s. Fry was a highly accomplished craftsman, adept at carving in a multitude of styles and woods. He specialized in large domestic and ecclesiastical furnishings and was fluent in the fashionable styles of the period, such as Gothic revival, Elizabethan, Italianate, and Renaissance revival. Eventually, he taught his son William the art of carving. Henry and William immigrated to the United States in 1849. By way of New Orleans, they arrived in Cincinnati in 1851. By the 1850s, Cincinnati, with its rapidly growing population and wealth, supported the endeavors of numerous craftsmen including silversmiths and furniture manufacturers. The city had become one of the most important centers in the United States for the production of furniture. It was in this booming industrial city that the Frys established a woodcarving studio, and soon gained local and national recognition for their work. One of the Frys’ most important patrons was the prominent Cincinnatian Joseph Longworth. In the late 1850s, the Frys carved the interior of Rookwood, Longworth’s country villa, which included an exquisite mantel, now in the collections of the Cincinnati Art Museum. Henry Fry wrote about the project, “Our Work in Mr. Longworth’s house is pretty well known, as while we were working on the premises he brought us many visitors. He gave us a carte blanche to do what we thought best. Certainly we tried and the public has given us the credit of doing it.” The mantel’s grapevine motif pays tribute to Joseph Longworth’s father, Nicholas, who introduced viticulture to the United States and owned one of the first successful vineyards in the country. Nicholas Longworth was a lawyer who through real estate investment became one of the wealthiest men in the United States. The grape and grapevine motif is further celebrated on this cabinet currently on offer. With its intricately carved grapes, vines and leaves in high relief, the piece likely was carved for the Longworth family, and, as the mantel from the Rookwood estate, likely commemorates the accomplishments and ingenuity of Nicholas Longworth, th