Pair of unusual coco-de-mer and acid-etched bronze commodes, by Maitland Smith

Of serpentine outline, maker’s plaques inside. This rare pair of serpentine commodes, made from coco-de-mer and acid etched bronze, are a fine example of the eclectic and exotic productions of Maitland-Smith in its early years. Maitland-Smith was founded in Hong Kong in 1979 by well-known London antiques dealer and designer, Paul Maitland-Smith. The original concept was to reproduce high quality 18th Century furniture and decorative accessories. In 1981, Maitland-Smith shifted its base from Hong Kong to the Philippines and built the company's own manufacturing operation. From the outset, the company’s workrooms were artisan-based, favouring hand-crafted specialities, hand carved tropical mahogany, hand cut and inlaid exotic wood veneers, lost wax cast metal, reverse-painted glass and as well as traditional vegetable tanned and hand-tooled leather. Other areas of expertise include finely executed porcelains, sophisticated finishing techniques and detailed hand painting. Maitland-Smith developed a reputation for the exotic, creating furniture and decorative accessories in a blend of unique materials popular in the 18th Century, using bronze, brass, porcelain, wrought iron, leather, shagreen, lacquer and eggshell. The availability of newly found materials, such as faux tortoiseshell and malachite, mother-of-pearl, fossilised stone and rattan allowed the craftsmen to produce increasingly intricate details and designs. In 1996, Paul Maitland-Smith set up another furniture company, Theodore Alexander, but based the operation in Vietnam. Today, the company manufactures the Ralph Lauren Home range.