A pair of George IV white-painted and parcel-gilt 'gondola' chairs in the manner of Morel and Seddon circa 1825

Nancy Lancaster (1897 - 1994), Yellow Room, 22 Avery Row, London

Mallett, London

John Cornforth, The Inspiration of the Past, Country House Taste in the Twentieth Century, New York and Harmondsworth, 1985, plate XVI. 22.

Martin Wood, Nancy Lancaster, English Country House Style, London, 2005, pp. 120-121 illustrated

Overall good condition; the decoration refreshed; the oil gilding with some touching-in and with rubbing, wear and losses throughout; drop-in seats screwed into the rails; some staining to leather upholstery; chips and losses to the paint throughout, but decoration is stable; one chair appears to have repairs to the tops of the stiles at join with the cresting rail.
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 design of the present 'gondola' chairs is very similar to a set of six 'gondola' chairs designed and supplied by Morel and Seddon to George IV for Lady Conyngham's Boudoir in her suite of rooms at Windsor Castle in 1828.  The chairs, account number 515 of room 213 are described  as '6 elegant shaped gondola chairs with moulded rails on curved legs and ormolu castors, rich foliate and rosette trusses supporting curved backs...the lower part filled in with imitation of wicker, the whole finely carved and gilt in the best manner in mat and burnished gold...'  These chairs appear in Office of Morel and Seddon, Design for Room 213, south elevation, circa 1826, and illustrated in Hugh Roberts, For the King's Pleasure, the furnishing and Decoration of George IV's Apartments at Windsor Castle, London, 2001, pp. 210-217, figs. 251 and 255.

The present chairs were owned by Nancy Lancaster, and situated in the famous Yellow Room at 22 Avery Row, London, part of her apartment above the shop of the designers Colefax and Fowler.  Lancaster had bought the design firm in 1944 and by 1957 decided to give up her Charles Street house in order to keep an eye on the finances of the firm and signed a twenty-five year lease on part of the Colefax and Fowler premises.  She transformed this disjointed space into a lavish apartment, the large room above the shop, which had once been Jeffry Wyattville's studio, becoming the Yellow Room, serving as a library, office, dining room and living room.