A George III Carved Giltwood Settee in the Manner of John Linnell, Circa 1780

Mallett, New York;

From whom acquired by Aso O. Tavitian, 22 October 2009.

Easily finding a natural harmony between the sometimes severe linearity of neoclassicism and the soft, comfortable curves of the Rococo, this sofa’s model is actually more unusual than its harmonious balance would at first suggest. The top rail’s gentle arc is more enveloping than the generally straight rails of neoclassical sofas, while avoiding the dramatic undulations that can be found on many other contemporary sofas. Similarly, the filled arm-rests curve outwards in a way that is visually amplified by the twisting foliate carving and is invitingly ergonomic for a reclining sitter. However, despite these curved elements that recall the fluidity of the preceding Rococo style, the ornament is all drawn from the elegant neoclassical style of the 1760s and later, including the fluted legs and numerous borders of leaves that are stylised in the typical manner of the decoration of Antiquity. The scallop shell on the crest is often associated with Venus in neoclassical ornament.

Various elements of this piece are executed in a very similar manner to the important furniture-maker John Linnell (1729–1796). While the work of John Linnell and his father William spans several decades and furniture styles, he is mainly remembered and celebrated for his crisp neoclassical furniture, whose designs are always profuse enough to be interesting while retaining a sense of measure and balance, and whose craftsmanship is always of superlative quality. Relevant here is the seat furniture made by Linnell for the 5^th Duke of Argyll and now at Inveraray Castle, Argyll; two models of armchair from that suite, which feature similar foliate-carved armrests to the present lot, were illustrated in Country Life, 5 June 1975, p.1486, figs. 5 and 6. Similar foliate armrests also appear on a neoclassical giltwood sofa also in the manner of Linnell illustrated in G. Beard and J. Goodison, English Furniture 1500-1840, Oxford 1987, p.223, fig.3 that sold at Christie’s New York, 22 April 1999, lot 78. A more radical and more Rococo earlier iteration of the twisting foliage on the present lot’s armrests can be seen on Linnell’s giltwood settee in Osterley House, Middlesex, NT 771771.