A pair of George III carved mahogany open armchairs circa 1760

the rounded backs on padded arms with foliate scrolled terminals on acanthus carved supports with bowed seats, on foliate carved cabriole legs with scrolled feet formerly with castors, now upholstered in crewel work applied silk linen

Jeremy Cotton Esq., Tythrop Park, Buckinghamshire, sold Christie's, London, 27th April 1995, lot 27.

These fine armchairs are in overall good condition and richly craved. Both chairs have later bracket supports to the later back seat rails. The fine early 18th century crewel work later applied to the upholstery.
"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."

The following two pairs of armchairs, together with the pair of commodes offered in this sale (lot 353), were formerly in the collection of Jeremy Cotton Esq. at Tythrop Park, Buckinghamshire.  Tythrop Park is renowned for its connection to the Herbert family of Wilton and the famous carved staircase by Edward Pierce displays the Wilton Coat-of-Arms. In the mid-1960s Mr. Cotton restored the 17th-century manor house to the outline shown in a print from 1680, where he housed some exceptional pieces of Georgian furniture including the famous Craven urns and pedestals.

These richly-carved and elegantly bowed armchairs are inspired by Thomas Chippendale’s designs for ‘French’ easy-chairs from his pattern book The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director, 1762, pl. XXIII, and probably came from a much larger suite such as those supplied to the Duke of Bolton for Hackwood Park, Hampshire. At present their provenance remains a tantalising mystery but we can say with certainty that they were part of an important commission.

Further chairs from this suite recorded to date include a pair of armchairs sold Bonhams, Fine English and Works of Art, 11 March 2009, lot 19 (£78,000); a pair sold Christie’s 5 July 1990, lot 122 and again Christie’s 8 July 1999, lot 15 (£122,000), which remain in a private collection. Two further pairs were advertised by Hotspur Ltd in the Grosvenor House Fair Exhibition Catalogue of 1998, two of which were illustrated in N. Goodison and R. Kern, Hotspur: Eighty Years of Antique Dealing, 2004, p.147, fig 13.