A Large Chippendale Carved and Figured Mahogany Armchair, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, circa 1770

This chair is marked II and the slipseat is marked II. Bottom inch of each leg replaced.

Joe Kindig, Jr., York, Pennsylvania, purchased May 27, 1935
The Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Lammot du Pont Copland, Mount Cuba, Delaware;
Sotheby's New York, The Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Lammot du Pont Copland, January 19, 2002, sale 7757, lot 53.

Morrison H. Heckscher, "Living with Antiques: Mount Cuba in Delaware," The Magazine Antiques (May 1987): pl. V, p. 1081

There are 3/4 inch patches on the proper left and right side of splat. Secondary wood is 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.

Retaining its original pine slip seat, this boldly proportioned armchair is a dynamic statement of the Rococo aesthetic in Philadelphia. Its formal design combines elements of both the English George II and Rococo styles, with particular emphasis on the interlaced scrolled splat inspired by chairs patterns illustrated in plates XI, XIIII, and XVI of Thomas Chippendale’s, The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director, London, 1762. The scrolled ears, fluted stiles, and exceptional carving of shell carved seat rail, acanthus carved knees and claw feet all follow other Philadelphia chairs of the period. The serpentine shaped arms with powerfully rolled scrolled knuckle terminals are magnificently modeled.

Two nearly identical armchairs are known. One is in the collection of Winterthur Museum and illustrated in Joseph Downs, American Furniture: Queen Anne and Chippendale Periods, 1952, no. 53. It was originally owned by the family of Francis Scott Key and known as the “Washington chair” since it was used by George Washington when he visited John Ross Key, Francis’ father and a Revolutionary officer. The other armchair was formerly owned by Francis D. Brinton (1877-1951) and given by his wife, Deborah Howell Brinton (b. 1877), to the Chester County Historical Society in 1961. It was included in Two Hundred Years of Chairs and Chairmaking: An Exhibition of Chairs from the Chester County Historical Society in 1987 and illustrated in the accompanying catalogue (see Margaret Bleeker Blades, West Chester, Pennsylvania, 1987, p. 15, 17, 27, fig. 16, cat. 25). The Brinton chair has also been illustrated prior to restoration and with an attribution to William Savery in Homer Eaton Keys, “Some Pennsylvania Furniture,” The Magazine Antiques (May 1924), which was reprinted in Philadelphia Furniture and Its Makers, ed. by John Snyder, Jr., New York, 1975, p. 14.