A REGENCY MAHOGANY METAMORPHIC LIBRARY OPEN ARMCHAIR
Lot 204

A REGENCY MAHOGANY METAMORPHIC LIBRARY OPEN ARMCHAIR

CIRCA 1820, SUPPLIED BY THOMAS WEEKS

Fermé1 June 2020

Prix réalisé

GBP 5,000

Plus d'informations

Comment vendre

A REGENCY MAHOGANY METAMORPHIC LIBRARY OPEN ARMCHAIR
CIRCA 1820, SUPPLIED BY THOMAS WEEKS
Reeded overall, the rectangular tablet toprail above a horizontal splat flanked by scrolled arms, with a caned seat and rounded seat-rail, on sabre legs, enclosing four green leather-lined steps, with engraved brass plaque on each side inscribed ‘Week’s Pattern / at his Museum / Tichborne St / Hay Market / 137’, black ‘Norman Adams’ label under bottom step, black leather squab cushion, on brass castors
35 ½ in. (90 cm.) high; 22 ½ in. (57 cm.) wide; 21 ½ in. (54.5 cm.) deep, the library chair
29 in. (73.5 cm.) high; 23 ½ in. (60 cm.) wide; 41 in. (104 cm.) deep, the steps

With Norman Adams, London.

Note du spécialiste

A similar chair was published C. Claxton Stevens and S. Whittington, The Norman Adams Collection, Woodbridge, 1983, p.459 and sold Anonymous sale; Christie’s, London, 14 June 2001, lot 104 (£27,025).

Thomas Weeks established his museum of mechanical curiosities at 3 and 4 Tichborne Street in about 1797. Ingenious clocks, self-playing organs, toys, animated spiders and birds of paradise are recorded as forming part of Weeks's collection, which was sold off by auction in 1834 following his death. His premises also included an adjoining shop, where it is presumed that pieces signed by Weeks, were offered for sale (C. Gilbert, 'Some Weeks Cabinets Reconsidered', The Connoisseur, May 1971, pp. 13-18).

A metamorphic armchair of this model was published in Ackermann's Repository of Arts in July 1811 and was described as 'This ingenious piece of furniture is manufactured at Messrs Morgan and Saunder's, Catherine-St. Strand' (S. Jones and P. Agius, Ackermann's Regency Furniture and Interiors, 1984, fig. 29). An example by Morgan and Saunders is at Trinity College, Oxford (R. Edwards and P. Macquoid, The Dictionary of English Furniture, London, rev. ed, 1954, vol. II, p. 291, fig. 15).