A fine pair of George III white- and green-painted window seats in the manner of James Wyatt circa 1780

the underside with chalked number B1041. Repairs, later painted

Stair & Company, London

Overall good restored condition; redecorated; rails with old worm damage and now with infilling to undersides of rails to strengthen rails; later corner blocks; back legs turned but not carved; small chips and wear to later painted decoration throughout; once gilded. The first with a later brace to the center and with a patch to the interior edge of the back rail at join with the cross-brace; glued piece of fabric to the interior edge of the back rail approximately 1 ½ in x 9 in.; front left toe with a repaired chip; The other with small chips to carving of acanthus leaf carving and with small losses to moldings of apron with some inpainting; extensive old worm damage to the cross-bar which is now broken and with a later brace to correct break; front rail reinforced with two wood strips at the corners.
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.

A drawing in the collection of the Sir John Soane's Museum by Adam dated March 9, 1780 shows a 'Sopha [sic] for Sir Abraham Hume', the seat rail  with anthemion carving, the tapering circular legs by urns carved with long leaves above a guilloche-carved collar and ending in turned feet.  Although aspects of the carved decoration of the present pair of window seats are very similar in execution to the Hume suite, both Dr. Eileen Harris, an expert and author of books on Robert Adam, including The Genius of Robert Adam  His Interiors, New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001, and Dr. John Martin Robinson, the architectural historian and expert on the architect James Wyatt, feel that the designer of these window seats was probably James Wyatt. 

A pair of side chairs from the same suite is illustrated, Mallett, Handbook, 1994, p. 23,; an armchair from the suite is illustrated, Lanto Synge, Mallett Millenium, 1999, p. 161, fig. 197; another armchair is illustrated, K. Howe, et al, Rienzi, 2008, p. 87, fig. 28.