A pair of Anglo-Indian carved and parcel-gilt ivory armchairs Murshidabad, circa 1785,

stamped A.W. / L1428 and with a printed table WILLIAM 2nd / HEIRLOOM / No. 639 R.I.,

Presented to Warren Hastings, Governor-General of British India from 1773, by Mani Begum, the widow of  Mir Jafar, nawab of Murshidabad ( d.1765)
By family descent to General Sir Charles Imhoff, stepson of Warren Hastings, sold 24th August 1853 at Daylesford House, on his death, (the sofa lot 396 or 397 and the chairs from lots 398-402).
Acquired at the Daylesford House sale by William Lowther, 2nd Earl Lonsdale (1787-1872).
By descent to Lancelot Edward Lowther, 6th Earl of Lonsdale (1867-1949), sold Lowther Castle house sale, 15th April 1947, lot 308.
Purchased by Thornton ( possibly Thornton Antiques, Harrogate) and subsequently bought by Mallett.
Acquired from Mallett & Son Ltd., London, 25th October 1967.

The following two pairs of chairs and settee form part of one of the most celebrated suites of ivory furniture made in the Murshidabad in the second half of the eighteenth century. The suite was commissioned by Mani Begum, the widow of Mir Jafar, Nawab of Murshidabad and presented to Warren Hastings, Governor General of Bengal.  A number of letters between Hastings, his wife Marian and Nesbitt-Thompson, their agent in Calcutta indicate that Hastings received a number of gifts of ivory furniture from Mani Begum, both whilst in India and after his return to England in 1784. On 14^thNovember 1784, Hastings wrote to his wife who had returned to England in advance owing to ill-health;

‘The Begum sent me more than one message expressive of her disappointment at my passing the city [Murshidabad] as she had prepared an elegant display of your chairs and couches for my entertainment. These are since arrived, with a letter for you, recommended most earnestly to my care. There are two couches, eight chairs and two footstools, all of the former patterns…’

It would seem plausible that the furniture referred to in the above letter was in reference to the current suite and is one of the indicators of the size of the original commission. The 1799 inventory of Hastings’ country estate Daylesford in Gloucestershire, which he acquired in 1788, lists a relatively meagre amount of ivory furniture in comparison to the amount that was later offered in the Daylesford sale by Hastings’ son-in-law in 1853. In 1799, there are recorded, ‘6 Ivory Arm Chairs, painted and gilt, the backs and bottoms stuffed’, four oval tables and two footstools. Of this group, two of the oval tables have been identified to date. One is in the collections of The Victoria and Albert Museum, London (1085-1882) and another was most recently sold from the Collection of Mr S. Jon Gerstenfeld, Christie’s London, 8^th June 2006, lot 120. These two tables share some of the carved detailing and parcel-gilding to the lots offered here.  

By 1834, the inventory at Daylesford lists in The Best Drawing Room a suite of solid ivory furniture consisting of two sofas, eight armchairs (‘the 9^th broke & up at the Stables’) and two firescreens. Indeed the Reverend F.E. Witts commented in 1827 following his visit that the Drawing Room was ‘remarkable for its suite of ivory chairs and sofas’.

The 1853 sale listed amongst other items;  Lot 396 – ‘A SOFA of SOLID IVORY, in the richest style of Oriental magnificence, superbly carved and richly gilt, the elbows finished with tiger heads…’  Lot 396 – ‘THE COMPANION COUCH’, Lot 398 – ‘A PAIR OF ELBOW CHAIRS IN SOLID IVORY, of corresponding style and magnificence’. Lots 399 and 400 are recorded as ‘2 pairs of “DITTO” ‘ and Lots 401 to 403 ‘3 separate “DITTO” ‘.

Of those items sold in 1853 the furniture offered here represents two pairs of the chairs and one of the sofas which were purchased by The Earl of Lonsdale. The 1877 inventory of Lowther Castle records  ‘An Ivory Couch (from Tipu Saib’s Palace) with loose seat’ continuing ‘4 chairs en suite’. A further pair of the chairs are in the Victoria and Albert Museum (1075 & A-1882). The remainder of the suite appears to have been amongst the furniture in the collection of  the 1^st Baron Londesborough which was part of a loan of ivory furniture to the Bethnal Green Museum  in 1878.

One armchair illustrated in situ in the Drawing Room Lowther Castle, circa 1900, Carlisle Public Records Office.
Veronica Murphy, 'Art and the East India Trade (1500-1857) and some little-known ivory furniture', The Connoisseur, December 1970, pp. 229-237, figs. 6 & 7.
Dr Amin Jaffer, Tipu Sultan, Warren Hastings and Queen Charlotte: The Mythology and Typology of Anglo-Indian Ivory Furniture', Burlington Magazine, May 1999, pp.273-275, pp.280-281, figs. 19 and 20.
Dr Amin Jaffer, Furniture from British India and Ceylon, London, 2001, pp. 248-263, no. 80 and fig. 105.

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE:
Another pair of chairs illustrated Lanto Synge, Mallett`s Great English Furniture, London, 1991, op.185, described erroneously as having belonged to Tipu Sultan of Mysore

These exceptionally beautiful carved ivory armchairs are in remarkable condition for their age and material. Overall the chairs have a creamier colour than illustrated in the catalogue. Both have hairline fractures to the surface of the ivory as to be expected. The largely original gilding decoration shows some wear as well as possible refreshment, particularly to the edges of the seat rails and the shoes of the splats. There are metal brackets inside seat surround to re-enforce joints in ivory. Overall, the joints are tight and secure, and once re-caned - where necessary - they will be sturdy enough to use on a regular basis. Chair 'A' has two has a small loss to moulding of seat rail and the back splat with one crack at the bottom and one repaired break to top of the corner of left splat, the foliated elements of back have been re-attached and right arm end has a repair. Minor crack to right side splat. Each front leg with pinned repair break to top of legs with juncture to seat rail, probably contemporary to the original construction. Splat with slightly more significant wear to gilding, and crest rail and arm supports appear to be extensively refreshed. Caning intact and sound. Left tiger head terminal with only one tooth remaining, three teeth remaining on the right tiger head. Chair 'B' has repaired breaks to top of each stile at the juncture with crest rail. Repairs at juncture of supports and to moulding of base at the base of the right arm. The front left leg with crack and pinned repair to inside top of leg and repair to crack of front left foot. The central boss of stretcher with chipped loss to underside. Two repaired splits to back legs and small losses to carved tiger teeth.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."