A fine and rare pair of George III mahogany armchairs after a design by John Linnell CIRCA 1760

each with dipped top rail above a pierced shell-form backrest with interlaced scrolled base on a fluted shoe, the drop-in seat flanked by shaped molded armrests on inscrolled supports, raised on molded cabriole legs headed by cabochons and ending in scrolled toes, the back legs ending in pad feet; the rails stamped II and X respectively.  Restorations.

Original seat frames X – back scrolled cresting rail is re-glued and is possibly later; left armrest with repaired break with juncture with backrest, the handhold with a repaired break and now with a plug, a ½ shim to the inside edge of the handhold above the juncture with the armrest support; right armrest with age crack to underside; reinforcements to stiles at join with seat rail; age cracks and tearing to veneer of left seat rail to back; repairs and inpainting to veneers of front left corner of apron; repaired break to back of front left leg; tears to veneers of left side apron; repaired break to top of front right leg; inside brackets to front legs later; all legs with plugs to inside edges, probably from later stretchers. II – repaired break to right center side of backrest; repaired breaks and plugs to armrests at juncture with backrest; both handholds with repaired breaks and now with plugs at juncture with armrest supports; repaired break to shoe; reinforcements at juncture of stiles and legs; small age cracks to bottoms of back rail; repaired breaks to insides of both front legs and now with plugs; brackets later to inside edges of front legs.
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 armchairs almost certainly come from the workshop of John Linnell.  An almost identical design for an armchair by Linnell, circa 1750, is illustrated by H. Hayward and P. Kirkham, William and John Linnell, London: Rizzoli,1980, vol. II, p. 22, fig. 37.  Now in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, the Linnell design features the same pierced backrest with dipped top rail but has two interlaced scrolls below rather than the single scroll on the present chair.  The shaped armrests are similarly on inscrolled supports and the cabriole legs end in scrolled feet.   As Hayward and Kirkham note, op. cit., vol. I, p. 77,  the backrest 'has some resemblance to the published designs of de la Cour.'   William de la Cour published a series of related designs for chairs in a First Book of Ornament, 1741.

A design by Linnell for an armchair with a related top rail and identical cabochon-carved cabriole legs is illustrated, Hayward and Kirkham, op. cit., p. 28, fig. 49.