A PAIR OF GEORGE III GILTWOOD ARMCHAIRS
Lot 80 THE PROPERTY OF A LADY OF TITLE

A PAIR OF GEORGE III GILTWOOD ARMCHAIRS

POSSIBLY BY JOHN LINNELL, CIRCA 1770-80

Closed17 March 2011

Price Realised

GBP 25,000

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A PAIR OF GEORGE III GILTWOOD ARMCHAIRS
POSSIBLY BY JOHN LINNELL, CIRCA 1770-80
Each with a foliate-carved oval padded back with a ribbon cresting above downcurved foliate padded arms and a serpentine seat upholstered in buttoned cream cotton covers, the fluted rails centred by a ribbon and rosette, on tapering turned, fluted and stiff leaf carved legs, pegged construction, re-gessoed and re-gilt
38 in. (97 cm.) high; 22¼ in. (62 cm.) wide; 27 in. (69 cm.) deep (2)

Almost certainly the same pair of chairs offered Christie's, New York, 29 October 1983, lot 216.

Specialist note

These elegant armchairs, with light French 'cabriolet' and golden frames, relate to designs by the Berkeley Square cabinet-maker John Linnell (d.1796) (see E. Harris, The Genius of Robert Adam, London, 2001, p.39, fig.52).
A suite of seat furniture, previously in the collection of the Marquess of Lansdowne, with similar central husk-draped patera on the seat rails, was sold anonymously Christie's, London, 19 November 1987, lot 35. The 1st Marquess of Lansdowne was a client of William and John Linnell and their association was long-lived. The Linnells were first engaged by the the 2nd Earl of Shelburne in 1763 at Bowood, Wiltshire and continued until 1796 including the commission for furniture for Shelburne (later Lansdowne) House, the Earl having been created 1st Marquss of Lansdowne in 1784 (Helena Hayward and Pat Kirkham, William and John Linnell, 1980, vol.I, pp.123-125).
A pair of chairs of the same design were sold anonymously Christie's, London, 23 February 1989, lot 61 (£9,9000 inc. prem.) and again Christie's, London, 11 November 1999, lot 43 (£20,700 inc. prem.)