Notes
Of this design Harris writes: Design for a mirror and cabinet, SM 20/31. Dated 1767. Adam’s first combination of two pieces of furniture forming a single continuous unit. The idea of bringing the mirror down to the top of the cabinet is probably derived from France. Not only has it no precedent in England, but it is also exceptional in Adam’s work of this date. Until the early 1770s the pier glass (as opposed to the overmantel mirror) remains a purely independent article usually with an apron separating it from the table below. Here the urn applied to the glass makes the transition between the two objects, and visually enhances their relationship. This also appears to be one of Adam’s first mirrors with a medallion crest, another device already known in France, and frequently employed by Neufforge. The fact that the measurements of the glass, normally imported from France, are given in French as well as English inches suggests that the piece was executed. The cabinet is related in its severe masculine shape and simple decoration to the bookcase for Lord Campbell. These, as far as we know, are Adam’s only furniture designs for Combe Bank, Kent.
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