A fine pair of George III mahogany needlework-upholstered library armchairs attributed to Paul Saunders circa 1760

Sir Martyn Beckett, Bt., M.C., sold Sotheby's London, 13 March, 1959, lot 147

Sold, Sotheby's, London, November 7, 1997, lot 42 (£73,000)

Sotheby's 215th Season, 1958-1959, p. 46 (One armchair from a set of four)

Overall good condition; the first with old repaired breaks to handholds at joins with armrest supports; tip to scrolled acanthus leaf of front right bracket replaced and with inpainting; front side brackets and back side brackets replaced; the back rail reinforced with another rail; the other chair with old repaired break to left hand hold a join with armrest support; large chip to top of right armrest support at join with right hand hold; front left bracket with a replaced section to the leaf carving; front right bracket replaced; scrolled tip to front left side bracket replaced; front right side bracket replaced; top of front legs each with a plug; back legs with old repaired breaks at tops; the back left leg with two plugs; back right toe with inpainted replaced section to one scroll of toe; overall with old marks, scratches, scuffs and bruises. The needlework in stable condition with large sections of the black background re-worked and restored and with areas of discoloration and losses to the black wool in other places; fading to the colors of the wool and some small areas of repairs and restorations.
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.

A further pair of armchairs from the same suite sold Sotheby's London, November 18, 2008, lot 348.

The legs on the present armchairs are of the same design as those on a set of side chairs, almost certainly supplied by Paul Saunders, circa 1757 for Holkham, Norfolk (see Anthony Coleridge, Chippendale Furniture, 1968, pl. 379). Another chair from the same Holkham suite is illustrated in John Cornforth, Holkham Hall, Norfolk-IV, Country Life, February 14, 1980, p. 431, fig. 14. A pair of armchairs, also of the same pattern, attributed to Paul Saunders sold Christie's London, Longleat House, 13 June 2002, lot 338. The design of the armchairs here and the comparable examples above relate to a `French' chair pattern published in the third edition of The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director, 1762 (pl. XIX). The basis for the attribution of the Longleat armchairs to Saunders besides the strikingly similarites with the Holkham furniture, illustrated Coleridge, op. cit., pl. 379, lies in evidence provided by payments to Paul Saunders, of £556 15s in November 1757 and £300 in November 1959, recorded in the 3rd Viscount Weymouth's bank account at Drummonds (See C. Cator, `Works of Art from Longleat', Christie's International Magazine, May/June 2002, pp. 69-78).

Paul Saunders formed a partnership with George Smith Bradshaw circa 1751 and remained together until 1758. Bradshaw continued running the business from premises in Greek Street, London having taken-on John Mayhew as his apprentice two years earlier while Saunders moved to Soho Square with William Ince as his partner.