A highly important George II gilt-gesso and giltwood armchair circa 1727, Attributed to Richard Roberts, the upholstery to Thomas Phill

the arched rectangular upholstered backrest flanked by acanthus-carved outscrolled arms terminating in eagle's-head handholds above a loose-cushioned seat and raised on cabriole legs headed by stylized shells flanked by eagle-head pierced brackets and ending in hairy paw feet.

Possibly supplied to the Coronation of George II in 1727 for Queen Caroline
Possibly acquired by Sir Robert Walpole, later 1st Earl of Orford (1676-1745) for Houghton Hall by 1728
Thence by decent to George, Earl of Rocksavage, and 5th Marquess of Cholmondeley and Lady Sybil, née Sassoon, Countess of Rocksavage
Christie's London, Works of Art from Houghton, December 8, 1994, lot 129 (£260,000)

H. Avray Tipping, English Homes, Period V, Vol. I, Early Georgian 1714-60, London, 1921, p. 85, fig. 112
H. Avray Tipping, "Houghton Hall-III," Country Life, January 15, 1921, p. 66

Overall fair condition; the green velvet upholstery in good condition with losses to velvet at cresting rail and corners; the gilding appears to have a clear coat of varnish to keep the gilding stable; chips and losses to gilding throughout especially to the feet and legs; the rails with old worm damage and now with cloth covering to keep stable; later corner blocks.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Richard Roberts (d. 1729) of 'The Royal Chair,' Marylebone Street, London, succeeded his father or brother Thomas Roberts (d. 1714), carver and joiner to the Royal Household in 1714 and most certainly supplied the furniture for the Coronation of George II and his consort Queen Caroline in 1727.  Sir Robert Walpole who was Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time would have approved the expenses for the Coronation including the furniture made for the ceremony ordered by the Lord Chamberlain, the position being held by Charles Fitzroy, 2^nd Duke of Grafton, through John, Duke of Montagu, who was 'Master of King George II's Great Wardrobe.'  The warrant was signed and dated Whitehall Treasury Chamber, 5 October, 1727 (PRO: lc 2/22 no. 19).  Richard Roberts appears in the Lord Chamberlain's papers as the 'Joyner' who supplied the chairs; for the upholstery, Thomas Phill (d. 1728) was paid:

For girt webb bottoming...rolling curled hair, linen and stuffing two large armed chairs and footstools / two large down cushions making said chairs cushions and footstools covered with green velvet and trimmed with gold and silver fringe and for gilt nails tacks and sewing used for two green velvet chairs, cushions and foot stools (PRO: LC 2/22 no. 16).

The gold and silver fringe was supplied and applied by Charles Matthews and John Hazell 'laceman' and George Bicker and his partner supplied '19 ½ yds. Of green genoa velvet for 2 chair cushions and footstools in the Abbey' at Westminster.

Though the chair itself was used in the most important ceremony of the time, which embodied the power and majesty of the crown, it was a one-off piece, not to be used again.  Each Coronation had its own suite of furniture, and each monarch had the Houses of Parliament redecorated, changing the throne there as well as the various thrones in most of the Royal Palaces.  There were a number of chairs that the King and Queen used during the Coronation.  At George III's Coronation, there were at least eight state chairs placed at various positions to be used during the ceremony (Roberts, op. cit. p.63-64).  The King was crowned on St. Edward's Chair, which had been used at all coronations since that of Edward II in 1308 after which time the King was led to his throne on the raised 'theatre' to be seated with his Queen, at which time she was crowned.  The present chair is most probably this chair (Ibid, p. 64).

When Sir Matthew Decker visited Houghton in 1728, he observed that 'out of the salon on the left hand, you come in a handsome drawing room, and from thence is a fine bedchamber, hung with a good tapestry of the seasons of the year; a blue damask bed, Sir Robert's picture... and in this room stands the costly chair were in the present Queen was crowned.'  Despite this recognition of the Coronation chair being at Houghton, it does not seem to be specifically recorded in either the 1745 or 1792 inventories at Houghton.  The 1745 inventory only describes the number of chairs in each room, for example the Blue Bedchamber accounts for 'Ten Chairs and one Stool,' the present chair may be one of the ten chairs if indeed it had stayed in the same place Decker had noted it seventeen years previously.  The 1792 inventory again does not help to explain any further.  It is possible that it could be 'An Easy Chair & blue Case & Cushion' listed in 'No. 38 India Silk Taffeta Bedchamber.'  Only in 1921 does the chair appear in situ in the South West Chamber after the Earl and Countess of Rocksavage had taken over Houghton.  It is possible that the chair may have entered into Houghton through George, 4^th Earl and 1^st Marquess of Cholmondeley (d. 1827), or Robert, 2^nd Earl of Orford (d. 1751) who had enlarged the collection by purchasing the Laöcoon and the chandelier in the stone hall.  Another possibility is that it was taken by the Lord Chamberlain, Charles Fitzroy, 2^nd Duke of Grafton who had perquisite over all the Coronation furnishings and brought it to Euston Hall in nearby Suffolk, subsequently selling it at a later date.

It is interesting to note that Thomas Roberts (Jr.) was owed £1,420 8s 7 ½ d 'less £200 by cash' by Sir Robert Walpole in 1729 and he most probably supplied the parcel-gilt walnut suite of side chairs with almost identical green velvet upholstery originally placed in the 'Cabinett and Cov'd or Wrought Bedchamber' at Houghton.

See:

Hught Roberts 'Royal Thrones, 1760-1840,' Furniture History Journal, Leeds, 1989, vol. XV, pp. 61-85

Lucy Wood, The Upholstered Furniture in the Lady Lever Art Gallery, New Haven and London, 2008, vol. I, p. 12-18

Geoffrey Beard and Christopher Gilbert, Dictionary of English Furniture Makers, 1660-1840, Leeds, 1986, pp. 752-754