A Regency parcel-gilt ebonized stool after a design by Thomas Hope circa 1810

Sotheby's ,Olympia London, May 11, 2004, lot 167

Overall good condition; some small chips and losses to gilding and to paint; appears to retain much of its original painted surface with some areas of inpainting; some minor worm holes to the rails; sturdy and well-carved.
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.

Designed in the ‘Antique’ style popularized by Thomas Hope, the form of this curule-form stool is derived from a model reserved for the use of of the highest officials in ancient Rome.  Hope, whose archaeologically correct designs in Household Furniture and Interior Decoration, 1807, were an influential source for furniture makers in the early 19^thcentury, illustrates a  similar X-form model with lion’s-head handholds and legs ending in paw feet, pl. 12, no. 4, and another model with ram’s-head handholds with hoofed feet, describing it as a ‘Folding stool, with ram’s head and hoof extremities: loose drapery thrown over the seat’, pl. 29, no. 1.

A similar painted and parcel-gilt example with ram’s-head terminals and hoofed feet was sold in these rooms, October 13, 1990, lot 167 ($35,000); a mahogany example was sold in these rooms, January 26, 1985, lot 189 ($26,000).  A gilt stool, with similar eagle heads is recorded with the label of Messrs. Bartlett and Colling, who were established in 1860 in Brighton as 'Antique Furniture and Fine Art Dealers'. The latter was sold anonymously, Sotheby's, London, 3 July 2003, lot 167.