An important George III mahogany sofa attributed to William Vile and John Cobb circa 1760

The serpentine-form upholstered backrest flanked by upholstered sides and armrests with scrolled handholdes on cabriole armrests supports, the serpentine-fronted over-upholstered seat with loose cushion raised on cabriole legs headed by conjoined C-scrolls enclosing a pendant drop flanked by C-scrolled brackets and ending in a scrolled toes.

John Bligh, 3rd Earl of Darnley, Cobham Hall, Kent
Apter Fredericks, London

Good condition; some minor wear to the carving of the legs with some old bruises and scratches; legs in good condition; minor worm to the rails; sturdy; minor age cracks to cross-braces which appear to be original; the whole sofa sturdy and with lovely color and nice carving.
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 sofa is part of a suite of seat furniture which was supplied to John Bligh 3rd Earl of Darnley for Cobham Hall, Kent most probably by William Vile and John Cobb in the 1750s or 1760s.   According the Coutts Bank account, Bligh paid Vile £103 in 1759.  Another account book shows Bligh closing the account with Cobb in 1768.  The suite includes a pair of chairs, which sold at Christie’s London, November 29, 2001, lot 90 and at Christie’s London, May 23, 2012, lot 349.

The thick molding to the legs and arms of the present sofa is similar to a number of suites of furniture attributed to the furniture partnership of William Vile and John Cobb including a suite of seat furniture consisting of armchairs and sofas supplied by John Cobb to the Earl of Coventry for Croome Court.  The account dated 1768, described them as '8 French pattern arm'd Chairs Carv'd and gilt burnish' gold,' and were sold Christie's London, November 11, 1982, lot 21 (one seat rail inscribed in pencil Robert France); G. Beard and J. Goodision, English Furniture 1500-1840, Oxford: Phaidon - Christie's Ltd., 1987, p 137, figs. 4 and 5.  This suite was identical in design to a suite of seat furniture including six chairs and two sofas supplied by William Vile and John Cobb to the Earl in 1761, the difference being that the Vile and Cobb suite was of carved mahogany rather than giltwood and appears in a bill to the Earl of Coventry, dated June 25, 1761.  This suite was sold at Sotheby's London, June 25, 1948, lot 137.  Another similar suite of seat furniture of related form was supplied by Cobb to George, 2nd Earl of Pomfret, circa 1764, for Easton Neston, sold at Sotheby's London, The Estate of Christian, Lady Hesketh, March 7, 2007, lots 55-57.

John Cobb, a son-in-law of the furniture-maker Giles Grendey, entered into a partnership with William Vile in 1751.  Vile and Cobb supplied furniture to the leading patrons of the day including George III and Queen Charlotte, the 1st Earl of Leicester at Holkham Hall, the 4th Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth and the 4th Duke of Bedford at Woburn Abbey.  Their partnership ended in 1764 and Cobb continued the business until 1777.

See:
C. Latham, In English Homes, London, 1904, p.xi (one chair in situ in the Gallery)
H. Avray Tipping, English Homes, Period III, Vol. II, Late Tudor & Early Stuart, 1927, fig. 1, p.ix (one chair in situ in the Gallery)
J. Cornforth 'Cobham Hall, Kent III', Country Life, 10 March 1983, pp. 568 - 571, fig. 5 (one chair in situ in the State Dressing-Room)