An important set of six George III mahogany armchairs from St. Giles's House, Dorset circa 1760

Restorations, alterations.

Almost certainly supplied to Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 4^th Earl of Shaftesbury (1710-1771), St. Giles's House, Dorset, and by descent

Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 9^th Earl of Shaftesbury (1869-1961)

Sold, Christie's, London, October 22, 1953, lot 97

M. Harris & Sons, London

Sold, Sotheby's, London, November 14, 1986, lot 76

M. Harris & Sons, Centenary Book, 1968, p.114

Overall in restored condition; each with later corner blocks and lacking struts; seat rails each with old worm; overall with a later finish; old marks, scratches, scuffs and bruises. Chair '1' with old repaired breaks to the pierced back splat; age cracks to the shoe with two later nails; left armrest with old repaired chip at join with left stile; left handhold with an old repaired break; inner back rail with old worm with glue to corners at join with back legs, and stamped IV. Chair '2' with old repaired break to top of left corner of cresting rail above join with left stile; the shoe with two later nails; the armrests with old repaired chips at joins with stiles; the right handhold with and old repaired break at join with right armrest support; the inner back rail stamped V. Chair '3' the shoe with age cracks and small tears, small patch and approximately 8 later nails; left armrest with old repaired chip at join with left stile; inner back rail stamped CS. Chair '4' the shoe with two later nails and an age crack; each armrest with an old repaired chip; repaired breaks to each hand hold at join with armrest support; left handhold with a plug; the base of each armrest support with 2 or 3 later screws at join with side rails; pegs to each leg at join with the stretchers. Chair '5' with old repaired break to the left corner of the cresting rail with an over-painted metal L bracket to the back with three screws; the shoe with some age cracks and with two later screws; top of front left leg with patched repaired break; the inner back rail stamped CS. Chair '6' with possibly replaced cresting rail; patch to top of left stile at join with cresting rail; the shoe with minor age cracks and with two later nails; old repaired chips to the armrests at joins with stiles; the inner back rail stamped CS.
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 present armchairs have provenance from St. Giles's House, Dorset.  A set of twelve dining chairs possibly made by William Hallett Senior or Vile and Cobb, with related pierced and lozenge-shaped backrests was sold by the 11^th Earl of Shaftesbury from St. Giles's House, Dorset, Christie's, London, May 2, 2002, lot 20 (£754,650), although these chairs have cabriole legs carved with scrolls and husks.

St. Giles's House, Wimborne St. Giles, Dorset, was originally built for the 1st Earl of Shaftesbury, Anthony Ashley-Cooper, its suite of state rooms extensively remodelled and redecorated for the 4th Earl.  It was originally thought that Stephen Wright (C. Hussey, Country Life, Christopher Hussey, 'St. Giles's House, Dorset', September 10, 17, 24, 1943) carried out this work, but further research in the Shaftesbury archives has shown that Henry Flitcroft was the architect involved.  Flitcroft was assistant to Lord Burlington in 1720, succeeding William Kent as Master Mason and Deputy surveyor at the office of Works in 1748, becoming Comptroller in 1758.  His work for the Earl of Shaftesbury dates from the early 1740s, the accounts indicating payments in 1742 and 1743 for `surveying and making plans for St. Giles's House', and for `Drawing and etc', in 1744, which probably refer to the planned re-decoration of the White Hall, the Dining Room, the Tapestry Room and the Large Drawing Room.  As noted by Christopher Hussey in his article on St. Giles's House, (op. cit.), 'The whole, so little changed in two centuries, is a splendid example of the Kent manner changing into the rococo of the mid-century', but from the early 1950s the contents of these rooms have been gradually dispersed in a number of sales.  The record of these and a number of published articles indicate that the design of the furniture shows a highly accomplished progression from the architectural Palladian style to the full fanciful rococo style. The accomplished design, together with the high level of craftsmanship, clearly indicate a metropolitan origin for the majority of these pieces, but unfortunately the surviving Shaftesbury Account Books contain few references to London cabinet-makers other than William Hallett, his name appearing a number of times between 1745 and 1757 with references to `carved chairs', `the Blew Bed', and `Mahogany Cisterns'.  The payments to other cabinet-makers mentioned in accounts are small in nature and probably indicate their local origins.  The Shaftesburys are known to have had connections with London cabinet-makers, the 4th Earl's wife, Lady Susannah Noel (d.1758), being one of the 26 aristocratic subscribers to the first edition of Thomas Chippendale's Director (1754).  His second wife Mary Bouverie was the daughter of the 1st Viscount Folkestone who was a major patron of William Hallett and Benjamin Goodison, her brother the 2nd Viscount acquiring pieces from the Royal cabinet-makers William Vile and John Cobb.