A pair of parcel-gilt and grey painted fauteuils stamped Tilliard Louis XV, mid 18th century

covered in claret coloured silk damask, the padded cartouche shaped back with scallophell and foliate carved top-rails and scroll padded arm supports, the serpentine seats raised on cabriole legs headed by cabochon carved surmounts and further foliate carved decoration, redecorated and reblocked, one leg broken (2)

Probably purchased by William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire (1720-1764) or his son 5th  Duke of Devonshire (1748-1811), and is first recorded at Chiswick in 1811.

Chiswick House Inventory, 1811, one chair recorded On Principle Floor in Blue Room and described as White and Gold French chair;
One of these chairs is illustrated in a watercolour of the Gallery at Chiswick by William Henry Hunt dated 1822;
Chiswick House Inventory, 1863, p. 32 in the East Ante Room, 12 Gold and White armchairs;
A pair are photographed, circa 1885 in The Blue Velvet Room at Chiswick and another pair in the Gallery (NMS);
Chiswick House Inventory, 1892, p. 28, in the Drawing Room, 12 white & gold chairs carved in cream and white silk;
James Lees-Milne, Chatsworth, Derbyshire IV, A Seat of the Duke of Devonshire, Country Life, 2 May, 1968, p. 1111, fig. 4-5;
James Lees-Milne, Baroque, Woodbridge, 1970, p. 84;
The Duchess of Devonshire, The House - A Portrait of Chatsworth, London, 1982, p. 144;
T. S. Rosoman, The Decoration of The Principal Apartments of Chiswick House 1727-1770, The Burlington Magazine, October 1985, Vol. CXXVII, Number 991, p. 670, fig 8;
Montgomery-Massingberd & Sykes, Great Houses of England and Wales, 1994, London, p. 255;
The Duchess of Devonshire, Chatsworth - The House, London, 2002, p. 197

The painted and gilded decoration is very flaky and chipped. There are signs of wood worm, especially to the seat rails and legs. One chair has a broken leg which reveals the extent of the wood worm infestation. There has been an attempted crude repair to this break using metal brackets. Fragmentations and losses to the area. The later upholstery is in good condition but has signs of wear and stains. An elegant pair of chairs.
"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."

Comparative Literature:
Bill G.B. Pallot, L'art du siège au XVIII siècle en France, Paris 1987, p. 317.
A. González-Palacios, Il Patrimonio artistico del Quirinale, Gli Arredi Francesi, Milan, 1996, pp.154-155.
G. Jeanneau, Les Sièges, Paris, 1967, pls.130, 1977, pl.VIII, fig. b.
P. Kjellberg, Le Mobilier Français du XVIII Siecle, Paris, 1989, p. 834, fig.C.
J. Nicolay, L' Art et La Manière des Maîtres Ebénistes Français au XVIIIe Siècle, 1956, p. 459, figs. P& R.
F. J. B. Watson, The Wrightsman Collection, New York, 1966, vol.I, pl. 35, p.48-49.

These fauteuils were first recorded at Chiswick in the early nineteenth century and were almost certainly introduced there by the 5th Duke and Duchess Georgiana, although they may have been acquired by his father on one of his visits to France.

The distinctive heart-shaped motif flanked by foliate trails and the sloping top-rail are hallmarks of the celebrated menuisier Jean-Baptiste Tilliard, who belonged to one of the most important dynasties of Parisian menuisiers. The shape of the back varies in his seat furniture but often the edges of the top-rail are carved with foliage as on the present pair of armchairs.

Pallot, op. cit., p.139, illustrates  a carved beechwood armchair à la reine by Tilliard, formerly in the Fradier collection, with identical carving on the seat-rail and knees, although it has a broader back and the scallopshell motif is inverted and on the base of the back rather than the top-rail on the illustrated example.

There is also a set of two bergères à la reine and two fauteuils à la reine stamped Tilliard, with the heart-shaped cartouche on the seat-rails and the rocaille boss on the knees, in the Wrightsman collection, illustrated by Watson, op. cit., pp. 66-67.

Jean-Baptiste I Tilliard (1686-1766), received Master 1717, Maître-Menuisier du Garde-Meuble Royal after 1728.

Jean-Baptiste Tilliard belonged to a family of important menuisiers-ébénistes. One of his sons, Jacques Jean-Baptiste Tilliard otherwise known as Jean-Baptiste II Tilliard was also a menuisier and took over his father's workshop on the rue de Clery. Jean-Baptiste I enjoyed a close working relationship with Cresson and Foliot, the other leading mid eighteenth century menuisiers. After his father's death in 1728, Jean-Baptiste I was awarded the title maître-menuisier du Garde-Meuble Royal which authorized him to produce exclusively for the Royal Court. His aristocratic and royal clientèle included the Duchesse de Mazarin as well as the Marquise de Pompadour.