A set of eight George II walnut side chairs circa 1730

the drop in seats covered in 18th century floral tapestry

This is a rare set of chairs which generally is in very good original condition. All have exceptionally good colour and patina but with some variations to the consistency of the colour particularly to the top-rails. Most have minor old worm damage and some age cracks, minor chips and bruising consistent with age and use with some minor restorations. Later corner strengthening brackets to seat-rails. All the needlework is worn and could benefit from cleaning. Chair 1. One plugged repair and crack to the base of the left upright adjacent to the join with the seat-rail with some re-jointing to the opposite side in the same position. The back joints are loose. Some wear to needlework. Chair 2. General scuffing and minor losses to carving in particular to the ear brackets on the legs. Back joints loose. Seat with holes to the needlework. Chair 3. One ear bracket missing from the right hand side of the chair. Rear left hand ear bracket chipped. Chair 4. Front- rail has a small chip and a repair. The centre of the front rail is rather marked and could benefit from re-polishing. Front left hand leg rather scuffed and scraped consistent with being chewed by an animal and has been spliced. Chair 5. Some more noticeable age cracks to top of splat, visible from the back, some darker staining to both uprights and base of splat, some more significant bruising and wear to carving at the top of both legs, front rigth hand foot more extensively wormed and chipped. Chair 6. The right hand leg has a small repair in the form of a patch to knot in the timber. The back joints are loose. Chair 7. The top-rail has a small triangular patch but which could be original. Small filled age crack at the top of the righ hand upright to reverse.Minor loss to carved detail on left hand scroll of left hand leg. Right hand foot has old repairs and the foot is rather cracked. The inner brackets have visible screws and which have then been plugged. Right hand leg is cracked and has a filled age crack at the base of the splat. Some movement to back joints. Chair 8. Old repaired break to top right hand upright. Dark colouring to timber on the bottom of right hand foot. Minor abrasions to knees. Rear back left hand foot tipped.

"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A set of eight chairs in the Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight, Merseyside, supplied by Thomas Moore to Sir Dudley Ryder (1691-1756) in 1734, shares a very similar pattern of back with an almost identical voluted splat (see Lucy Wood, The Upholstered Furniture in The Lady Lever Art Gallery, 2008, 2 vols., vol. II, P. 292, No. 24).  However although the chairs supplied to Sir Dudley Ryder differ in respect of their shell-decorated seatrails and heavily carved Lion mask legs, elements of the scroll carving framing the masks relate to the corresponding decoration on the offered lot. The carving to the knees on the present chairs is also a closely related to those on an armchair recorded in the Percival Griffiths Collection (see R. W. Symonds, English Furniture From Charles II to George II, 1929, p. 98, fig. 75). Similar characteristics are likewise paralleled on the legs of a stool illustrated in Peter Brown ed., The Noel Terry Collection of Furniture & Clocks at Fairfax House, York, 1987, p. 50, no. 50.