Provenance:
Hotspur Ltd., London, 1990

Note:
This elegant chair, designed in the ‘French fashion’ of the 1770s, corresponds closely to Chippendale’s neoclassical designs with its swag-draped oval and fluted legs. Their overall form was essentially a template that would be cleverly customized by the combination of specific ornamental designs which ensured each client had a unique set. In addition to the typical construction of its seatrail, this chair shares stylistic elements with documented Chippendale commissions. In particular, the ribbon-tied husk cresting, curved handholds and fluted sections on the legs are all seen on a set of twelve chairs supplied to Sir Penistone Lamb (1745-1828) for Brocket Hall, Hertfordshire in 1773 (C. Gilbert, The Life and Work of Thomas Chippendale Vol II, London, 1978, p. 109. fig. 186) while its laurel leaf-carved seatrail appears on another set of chairs supplied to Sir Roland Winn (1739-1785) for Nostell Priory, Yorkshire (Ibid, p. 108, fig. 184).