A PAIR OF REGENCY EBONIZED AND PARCEL-GILT SIDE CHAIRS

William Thoms advertised in 1821 'Furniture, for sale and for inspection' at 10 High Street, Exeter, Devon (G. Beard & C. Gilbert, (eds.) The Dictionary of English Furniture Makers 1660-1840, Leeds, 1986, p. 889). A set of four Regency side chairs of related design with provenance for The late Mary, Viscountess Rothemere, sold Christie's, New York, 16 April 1994, lot 126.

Madeleine Castaing (1894–1992), France’s grande dame of décor, became an instant success in 1940s Paris with her signature style that was a unique blend of neoclassicism, picturesque romance, and whimsy. In the early 1920s Madeleine began her love affair with antiques –an interest turned passion, which then became a profession in the 1940s when she opened her own shop on the Left Bank. Eschewing the classical French interiors of the period, she preferred to juxtapose more eclectic pieces, claiming, "Mixing allows you to avoid reconstruction. It injects life into a grouping." She adopted what was then a groundbreaking approach to her shop displays, outfitting her store in the style of a residence and arranging her wares into chic vignettes. By the time of her death in 1992 at age 98, Madeleine Castaing had been in business for over 50 years and made an indelible mark on the French interior design scene.