A Pair of George III stained pine armchairs attributed to John Cobb circa 1765

on casters.  Originally gilded or painted.

Overall restored condition; now with a shellac finish to the timber; probably originally gilded or painted; the seats with springing; the first chair with an old repaired break to the left handhold at join with armrest; small loss to molded edge of left side apron at join with the front left leg; large chip to edge of back left foot; the other with age cracks to the front left leg at join with the apron; repaired chip to front left foot; chip to molded edge of front right foot; overall, the carving with scuffs, nicks, scratches, and bruises.
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 present pair of chairs is almost identical to a suite of furniture including armchairs and sofas supplied by John Cobb to the Earl of Coventry for Croome Court.  The account dated 1768, described them as '8 French pattern arm'd Chairs Carv'd and gilt burnish' gold, with hollow backs, stuffed & quilted in Linnen...gilt nails...& Covering do Comp with your Crimson silk damask', and were sold Christie's, London, November 11, 1982, lot 21 (one seat rail inscribed in pencil Robert France); G. Beard and J. Goodision, English Furniture 1500-1840, Oxford: Phaidon - Christie's Ltd., 1987, p 137, figs. 4 and 5.  This suite was identical in design to a suite of seat furniture including six chairs and two sofas supplied by William Vile and John Cobb to the Earl in 1761, the difference being that the Vile and Cobb suite was of carved mahogany rather than giltwood.  The mahogany suite appears in a bill to the Earl of Coventry, dated June 25, 1761 and included '7 Handsome Carv'd Mahogany Arm'd Chairs on Castors Stuff'd and Quilted, & Cover'd with Morrocco Leather, and finish'd Complete, with the best Burnish'd Nailes at £7 each' continuing on July 5, 'For 2 Handsome Carv'd Mahogy Sopphoys on Castors Stuff'd and Quilted and Cover'd with red Morrocco Leather, and finish'd Complete with Burnish'd Nailes 36.-.-...'  This suite was sold at Sotheby's, London, June 25, 1948, lot 137.  A seemingly identical pair of chairs of carved mahogany sold Christie's, London, November 17, 1994, lot 134.

A similar suite of seat furniture of related form was supplied by Cobb to George, 2^nd Earl of Pomfret, circa 1764, for Easton Neston, sold at Sotheby's, London March 7, 2007, lots 55-57.  Another example of the Croome Court model with cabochon-carved seat rail was sold, Christie's, New York, March 28, 1981, lot 193; another pair, sold in these rooms, April 14, 2000, lot 360 ($240,000), is similar to the present lot and were mostly likely originally gilded, differing only slightly from the present chairs in the form of the arm terminals, arm supports and cabochon-carved rails.

Further examples of similar pairs of armchairs to the offered lot have been sold: Parke-Bernet Galleries, March 7-8, 1952, lots 357-8 (Holbrook Collection, London); Parke-Bernet Galleries, April 4, 1959, lot 126; Parke-Bernet Galleries, The Entire Stock of F. Partridge & Sons, New York, March 29-30, 1968, lots 411-12; Sotheby Parke Bernet, The Contents of Dunnellen Hall, Greenwich, Connecticut, September 20, 1975, lot 370 (col. pl. IX) and sold subsequently, Christie's, New York, October 22, 1988, The Property of Mr. and Mrs. Franklin N. Groves, lot 103; Christie's, New York, January 24, 1992, lot 266; Christie's, New York, October 14-15, 1994, lots 487-488.  Cf. a similar gilded chair, Bonhams, London, March, 11, 2009, lot 20.

John Cobb, a son-in-law of the furniture-maker Giles Grendey, entered into a partnership with William Vile in 1751.  Vile and Cobb supplied furniture to the leading patrons of the day including George III and Queen Charlotte, the 1^st Earl of Leicester at Holkham Hall, the 4^th Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth and the 4^th Duke of Bedford at Woburn Abbey.  Their partnership ended in 1764 and Cobb continued the business until 1777.