A very fine and rare pair of Chippendale carved and figured mahogany side chairs, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania circa 1770

The chairs marked III and VIII. Slip seats frames are replaced.

Ex-Collection Brown Ten Eyck

David Stockwell, Wilmington, Delaware

Chair III and chair VIII; slip seats on both are replaced; refinished
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The elaborate carving on these handsome side chairs relates them to some of the finest examples of Philadelphia seating furniture from the Colonial period. Included in this group is a set of six side chairs and an armchair at the State Department with very similar shell carved crest rails, acanthus carved knees, and claw feet made for the Loockerman family of Dover, Delaware (see Clement Conger and Alexandra Rollins, Treasures of State, New York, 1991, no. 17, p. 99). This pair of chairs exhibits a solid splat, a more conservative alternative to the carved and pierced splats found on the Loockerman chairs, which also feature the additional options of fluted stiles and additional carving on the crest rail.

A closely related armchair perhaps stemming from the same set is in the collection of Winterthur Museum and illustrated in Joseph Downs, American Furniture, Queen Anne and Chippendale Periods, New York, 1952, no. 35. A side chair from a related set is at the U.S. Department of State (see Conger and Rollins, no. 26, p. 107).

The distinctive design of the shell carved crest, acanthus carving executed on the knees and the detail work on the ball and claw feet can be observed on a set of Queen Anne side chairs that date to the late 1740s. Numbers I through VI of the set of chairs are known. Two sold in these rooms, Important Americana, January 17, 1997, lot 921. Another example is in the collection of Winterthur Museum. Three other chairs were on loan to the Brooklyn Museum as part of the celebrated George Horace Lorimer collection; one chair was sold in these rooms, October 1986, lot 243 and is in the collection of the Dietrich Americana Foundation.