A Regency carved giltwood sofa, circa 1812, attributed to Tatham, Bailey and Sanders

upholstered in pink silk damask, branded with WINDSOR CASTLE ROOM 250, bearing the inventory label B250, re-gilt

Probably supplied to Queen Charlotte (1744– 1818) for the Blue Velvet Room, Buckingham House;
Removed to Windsor Castle, where recorded in Room 250 in the 1866 inventory.

In excellent restored condition and ready to place.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present lot is probably one of the giltwood sofas depicted in Charles Wild’s (1781-1835) evocative watercolour of the newly refurbished Blue Drawing Room in the north-west corner of Buckingham House circa 1812.

Published in W. H. Pyne's famous History of the Royal Residences (1817), it was one of the few carpeted rooms shown at Buckingham House as George III considered carpets potentially injurious to health, and his own apartments on the ground floor were therefore uncarpeted. Originally used as the Queen's bedroom, it became her dressing room from the 1760s onwards. A suite of giltwood seat furniture was supplied to compliment the new decorative scheme, most probably by Messrs Tatham, Bailey and Saunders, and seven armchairs from the same suite remain in the Royal Collection (RCIN 2413).

The firm were responsible for supplying furniture to the Royal Pavilion and much of the Prince Regent's household. Founded in the 1780s, they had premises at 14 Mount Street. The partnership was originally between George Elward and William Marsh, with Edward Bailey joining the firm in 1793 and Thomas Tatham (brother of the designer C.H. Tatham) in 1798. From 1803 to 1811 the firm styled itself 'Marsh and Tatham' or 'Tatham and Bailey'. They were joined by Richard Saunders in 1811, and thereafter were generally known as 'Tatham, Bailey and Saunders'.

Following his succession to the throne in 1820, George IV moved his entire household to Windsor Castle and instructed the fashionable firm Morel & Seddon to extensively redecorate the interiors. The work was completed in 1827 and the present sofa is not listed in Morel and Seddon’s detailed accounts. It is therefore likely it was removed from Buckingham House between 1827 and 1866.