A George II walnut library armchair circa 1750

the close nailed upholstered back and seat covered in later needlework with oval pictorial vignettes within a floral background, with shaped arms carved with acanthus leaves, the apron shaped and carved with shells and leaves, on cabochon carved cabriole legs with acanthus leaves and hairy paw feet.

Percival D. Griffiths, Sandridgebury, St. Albans;
Frederick Poke, Langholm, Parkside, Wimbledon Common
Thence by descent

On loan to the Herbert Art Gallery, Coventry, 1982-1997

R. W. Symonds, English Furniture from Charles II to George II, 1929, p.121, fig.76;
Herbert Cescinsky, English Furniture of the 18th Century, vol II, p.82, fig.78;
R.W. Symonds, The Present State of Old English Furniture, 1921, fig. 65 ;
G. Owen Wheeler, Old English Furniture from the 16th to the 19th Centuries, 1909, p.218; 
Haldane Macfall, ' The Years of Mahogany , The Early Georgian', The Connoisseur, July 1909, p.160;
R.W. Symonds, 'Walnut and Mahogany chairs of the 18th Century in the collection of Mr. Frederick Poke', Apollo, August 1939, p.51, fig.VIII;
R.W. Symonds, 'The Development of the English Chair - illustrated by examples in the collection of Mr. Frederick Poke', The Connoisseur, December 1942, p.170-171, fig. VI

Overall this is an attractive chair in good condition. There are some age cracks to the facing of the left hand arm and cracks to the front and sdie spandrels. The left hand side spandrel is loose. The chair has been partially re-railed and has been later sprung. There is old worm damage to the rails and underside. Rails beneath upholstery un-examined. Wear to tips of back legs. Left hand leg chipped and patched. The needlework would benefit from a clean. The needlework is also faded overall and some of the original colour is visible on the sides (where not exposed to as much light). There are later areas around the edges on the three sides and around the front of the arms. The needlework on the padded arms is later. The seat has some areas that are distressed and showing the inner upholstery, for example to the sky in the centre of the seat, and there is a hole in the fountain which needs attention. The back appears to be later than the seat, and is in stable condition overall. Some of ares of sky is without stitching, so emphasise the white clouds. Back of seat has modern plain light coloured textile backing.
"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."

Although the unusual carving to the apron of this lot probably excludes it from an attribution to Giles Grendey, when it was sold in 1939 from the Griffiths' collection it was photographed with another chair recently convincingly attributed to the celebrated Clerkenwell cabinet-maker (see Christie's, New York, 18 October 2001, lot 232). It is interesting to note that both chairs appear to have been upholstered from the same source, each with a pastoral scene within an oval frame surrounded by generic foliate motifs.

The unusual apron conceived in the French manner relates to a suite of seat furniture formerly at Ditchley Park, Oxfordshire, which was possibly supplied for the Drawing Room by William Bradshaw in the 1740's (see John Cornforth, `How French Style touched the Georgian Drawing Room', Country Life, 6th January 2000, pp.52-53, fig.1).  The Ditchley suite which was included in the Sotheby's sale of the house contents on 26th May 1933, represents one of the earliest documented examples of English furniture conceived and upholstered in the French manner.  Furthermore it demonstrates the evolution of taste from the Palladian tradition expressed in Kentian furniture towards the Rococo style  which reached its zenith in the Chippendale era of the late 1750's and early 1760's.