A PAIR OF SILVERED AND CARVED GROTTO ARMCHAIRS, PROBABLY ENGLISH LATE 19TH CENTURY/EARLY 20TH CENTURY

Sir Osbert Sitwell, London

The pencil inscription under these armchairs suggests the English writer Sir Osbert Sitwell (1892-1969) owned this pair of chairs at his house in Chelsea. No.2 Carlyle Square quickly became for Osbert and his siblings Edith and Sacheverell a backdrop for entertainment and poetry readings. The whimsical interior with a large collection of 'grotto' furniture was renowned and highly influential at the time and underlines Osbert's interest in the repertoire of dolphins, seen on his ex-libris. A similar armchair was sold Christie's London, 25 September 2007, lot 688.