AN IMPORTANT PAIR OF GEORGE II CARVED MAHOGANY LIBRARY ARM CHAIRS circa 1750

each over-upholstered back with a serpentine shaped crest rail, the padded arms slightly out-turned with foliate and shell scroll terminals above incurved molded supports edged with rope carving and with rising acanthus leaves at the base, the upholstered seats of serpentine form within shaped seat rails carved and centered at the front by a ruffled-edged cartouche enclosing C-scrolls, above a rope molding with a pendant bell flower within scrolling acanthus leaves and with diaper-carved panels enclosed by foliate scrolls and flower heads, the cabriole legs headed by shells above pendant leaves and bell flowers above scrolled toes issuing from acanthus leaves, and edged with rope carving, the shaped side rails centered by stylized shells on plain cabriole legs with scrolled toes.

With Stair & Company, New York

Sotheby's, New York, April 22, 1995, lot 82.

The Collection of Joseph and Laverne Schiszler, sold, Christie's, New York, October 21, 1999, lot 113

Of fine timber with an old waxed surface with good patination, the carving retaining its crispness, with the usual soft rubbing on the extremities and small losses off a scroll terminal on the right side apron of one chair. Corner blocks to the inner frame replaced with some old worm damage. Possibly originally fitted with castors. The modern upholstery in good condition. A fine pair of chairs which require only a small amount of restoration and waxing.
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.

The inspiration for the design of this pair of chairs was undoubtedly influenced by that of French chairs, London cabinet-makers being fully aware of current French fashionable styles. The London cabinetmaker Thomas Chippendale visited France in the 1750s, supplying the Earl of Dumfries with a French boulle-inlaid writing table, his contemporaries Ince and Mayhew's trade card inviting 'their customers to inspect an Assortment of French Furniture consigned from Paris'. Due to the high duties which were involved in importing furniture from the continent, several cabinetmakers were accused of smuggling, including Chippendale himself who 'attempted to pass a consignment of sixty unfinished French chair frames through customs at a suspiciously, low declared value of £18' (See: Gilbert, The Life and Work  of Thomas Chippendale, London, 178, pp. 36-37). In 1772 a Parliamentary Commission heard evidence that the cabinetmakers John Cobb and James Cullen were also involved in smuggling.

This interest in French design obviously encouraged London cabinetmakers to produce their own furniture in this style, and also to publish their own designs which appeared in many mid eighteenth century pattern books, such as Thomas Chippendale's The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director, 1754 and 1763, and William Ince and John Mayhew's, The Universal System of Household Furniture, 1762, the relevant plates being inscribed French Chairs.

The present chairs were obviously part of a much larger suite, identical chairs having been sold, Christie's, London, May 12, 1966, lot 65; Christie's, London, June 19, 1980; a pair of chairs, Sotheby's, London, July 5, 1996, lot 57; a pair of chairs,  Christie's, New York, October 21, 1999; a single chair, lot 114; and a number of other related chairs are recorded. These include an important suite of seat furniture acquired after 1864 from an unknown source by Sir William Cunliffe Brooks of Barlow Hall, Chester, and subsequently in the collection of Sir John Ward of Dudley House, Park Lane, London (See:The Connoisseur, March, 1964, J. F. Hayward,  'An English Suite with Embroidered Covers', pp. 164-150). Sold at Christie's New York, April 22, 1995, lot 82, a pair of stools, which had become separated from the suite in the 19^th century, were sold in these rooms, Ocober 12, 2007. The design and execution of this suite is almost identical to the present chairs, other than the carved scroll at the top of the legs is less pronounced on these, and the inner edges of the legs are carved in a rope pattern.

Another suite of seat furniture also closely related to the present chairs from Ditchley House, Oxfordshite was identified by John Cornforth in 2000 (See: Country Life, January 6, 2000, John Cornforth, 'How French Style Touched the Georgian Drawing Room', pp. 52-55). In walnut, with the original English tapestry covers, they have the same profile as the present chairs and, although some of the carved detail differs, they have the identical rope carving on the inner leg. Although no documentation has been found in the Ditchley papers which can be directly related to these chairs, the leading cabinet maker, upholsterer and tapestry maker William Bradshw (1728-d. 1775) was paid for upholstery work starting in 1740 until July 1742, and also completed an inventory of the contents.

See:

Country Life, January 26, 2000, John Cornforth, 'How French Style Touched the Georgian Drawing Room', pp. 52-55