A matched set of eight George II style walnut armchairs, 2nd quarter 20th century

with padded backs, shepherd`s crook arms and stuffed seats, on scroll carved cabriole legs with pad feet

Provenance:

Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965).

 

Thence by descent to the Countess Peel, granddaughter of Sir Winston and daughter of Lady Soames, Sir Winston Churchill's only surviving child.

Generally all of these chairs are in good condition. All have old marks and scratches consistent with age and use. The upholstery on all is worn and stained and in some cases torn along the top edge. For further information on this Lot, please contact the English Furniture Department on 00 44 (0) 207 293-5470.
"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 chairs, which were commissioned in the 1930s by Sir Winston Churchill, came about as the result of a dinner party that both Sir Winston and his wife Clementine attended, given by Sir Evan and Lady Dorothy Charteris at 118 Eaton Square. Churchill so admired the chairs both for their appearance and perhaps more importantly for their comfort that he later asked Lady Dorothy's permission to copy them.

The 1930's were not easy years for Churchill and later came to be known as the "wilderness years".  For most of this period Churchill appeared to be at odds with popular opinion and it was not until 1939 when he entered the War Cabinet as First Lord of the Admiralty that his prophecies of the forthcoming war became apparent. 

Sir Evan Charteris was the son of the tenth Earl of Wemyss while his wife, Lady Dorothy, was the daughter of the fifth Earl of Kenmare. She had formerly been married to Lord Edward Arthur Grosvenor, son of the First Duke of Westminster. 

When considering the relationship between Charteris and Churchill it is interesting to note that the following account is recorded in Lady Soames's book Clementine Churchill.

In August 1939  Winston and Clementine and their daughter Mary went to stay in the south of France with Consuelo and Jacques Balsan.  Also in the party was Paul Maze who was staying with his family at Le Moulin on the estate.  But agreeable though the company was, here again political tensions lurked only just below the surface.  Paul Maze recounted in his diary on the 21 August 1939 how he had.......  "Dined at the Chateâu. Winston was fuming but with reason as the assemblée didn't see any danger ahead". 

Charteris was also present at this dinner and on retiring to bed shouted down to Paul Maze "Don't listen to him. He is a warmonger".  Maze records "He (Winston) was depressed as he left". 

The chairs, which appear to have been commissioned in two stages, no doubt as personal finances allowed, were originally intended for 11 Morpeth Mansions, Churchill's home in London. They were later used by Sir Winston as his private dining chairs at his much loved home Chartwell in Kent.  There can be little doubt that over the chairs lifetime, many pivotal debates will have taken place throughout this particularly turbulent and uncertain period in England's political history, owned by a man rightly described in A. J. P. Taylor's words as "the greatest Englishman of all time".