A PAIR OF GEORGE II GREEN-JAPANNED AND PARCEL-GILT CANED SIDE CHAIRS, ATTRIBUTED TO GILES GRENDEY CIRCA 1735

A Catalogue of the Principal Works of Art at Chequers, H.M.S.O., 1923, p. 58, No. 334, pl. XLII Norma Major, Chequers, London, 1997, p. 151, detail of the back of one chair
Percy Macquoid, English Furniture in the Lady Lever Art Gallery, Batsford, 1928, pl. 52, no. 182, p. 57l; one of those chairs was exhibited- The Royal Academy of Arts,`English Taste in the 18th Century', 1955-1956, no. 223, pl. 40, p. 70
The Connoisseur Magazine, October 1935, p. VIII, Trade advertisement, M. Harris & Sons, 61 St. James's Street, London
M. Harris, The English Chair, London, 1937, pl. XXVIII, p. 98, from Ormely Lodge, Ham Common, Surrey
The Burlington Magazine, February, 1941, R. W. Symonds, 'English 18th Century Furniture Exports to Spain and Portugal', pp. 57-60, pls. I & II
Editors of The Magazine ANTIQUES, Antiques at Williamsburg, New York, 1953, p. 15, one chair
The Magazine ANTIQUES, April 1971, C. Gilbert, `Furniture by Giles Grendey for the Spanish Trade', pp. 544-549
G. Beard & C. Gilbert, Dictionary of English Furniture Makers, Leeds, 1986, pp. 371-372.

Each chair with chips and losses to lacquer painting overall with areas of inpainting, some losses and wear to the gilding, one chair stamped to the back of the splat, some areas of old worm to both chairs especially to the feet.
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.

These chairs can be associated with the firm of Giles Grendey. Grendey, whose workshop was situated at Aylesbury House, St. John's Square, Clerkenwell, was described as a 'Cabinet-Maker and Chair-Maker' when part of his stock was destroyed by fire in 1731. This included 'an easy Chair of such rich and curious Workmanship that he had refus'd 500 guineas for it' and furniture to the value of £1000, which he 'pack'd for Exportation'. He was also described as 'an eminent Timber Merchant' in 1755 on the marriage of his daughter to John Cobb, the Royal cabinet-maker. He had a number of important and wealthy clients including Lord Scarsdale, Kedleston Hall, Sir Jacob de Bouverie, Longford Castle, and Henry Hoare at Stourhead. A considerable quantity of his furniture survives bearing his label, and from this one can gain a clear indication that his work was of excellent quality, if somewhat staid in design, and included a number of plain articles of a domestic nature. As noted previously, it is obvious that he had a considerable export trade, one of his notable commissions being a suite of scarlet-japanned furniture for the Duke of Infantado, Lazcano Castle, Spain, which included seat furniture and cabinets. At this time japanned furniture was not considered to be fashionable in England, and it is interesting that in the 1740s it still appealed to the Spanish taste. Similarly, decorative panels of fine cane for the backs and seats of chairs were unfashionable, but still popular in the warmer climates of the Iberian peninsula. The use of stretchers in the construction of chairs could also have been considered old-fashioned at this time in England. The present chair richly decorated with Oriental scenes in gold on a dark green ground is a fine example of the japanners' art in the second quarter of the 18th century. A number of identical chairs are recorded, two in the Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight, six at Chequers, the country house of the English Prime Minister, and six formerly in the possession of Moss Harris, which are now in the collection of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.  One was sold in these rooms, The Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Saul Steinberg, May 26, 2000, lot 195 ($20,000).