A Very Fine and Rare Pair of Chippendale Carved Mahogany Side Chairs, possibly by James Gillingham, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, circa 1770

Chairs marked I and II and their respective slip seats which are orignal to the set marked V and VI.

Abrasion to talons on feet. Secondary wood is poplar amd yellow pine.
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.

With their finely carved alternating long and short lozenges, these chairs represent one of the most richly embellished examples of the trefoil-pierced splat type of Philadelphia seating furniture.  The lozenge motif was adapted from Chippendale's Director.¹  Two other chairs from this set are known.²  A second set matching the currently offer pair except for minor variations in the handling of the knee brackets and the upper splat openings.³

¹ Director, pl. XII, 1754 edition; Director, pl. XIIII, 1762 edition
² Magazine Antiques, (January 1952) 61:1, 37 and Magazine Antiques, (March 1981) 119:3, 471.
³ Edwin J. Hipkiss, Eighteenth-Century of American Arts: The M. and M. Karolik Collection, (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1941), no. 88; Morrison H. Heckscher, American Furniture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Vol. 1 (New York: Random House, 1985), pp. 102-3, no. 56; Joseph K. Kindig III, The Philadelphia Chair: 1685-1785, (York, PA: Historical society of York County, 1978), no. 56