A pair of George II carved mahogany and parcel-gilt library armchairs, mid-18th century, attributed to Paul Saunders

This pair of armchairs can be attributed on stylistic grounds to the workshop of Paul Saunders (1722-71), an 'upholder' and cabinet-maker of Soho, London. The form reflects the influence of ‘French’ designs for ‘elbow’ chairs in Thomas Chippendale's The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director, 1754 (pls. XVIII-XIX). Indeed, Saunders was a subscriber to the Director, and was undoubtedly inspired by his designs.

Although most of Saunders’ work is undocumented, he supplied a related set of ten ‘elbow’ armchairs to the 1st Earl of Leicester for Holkham Hall, Norfolk in 1757¹. The offered chairs are a variation of the Holkham model, dispensing with the furled acanthus detail to the armrest and foliate carved cabochon headed legs, instead opting for ‘antique’ fluting to the armrests and legs while retaining the distinctive scrolled feet. The Holkham suite and the present pair also share gilt heightening to the carved detail, although it is not clear whether this is a later surface.

For a related pair supplied to 1st Marquess of Bath (1734-1796) for Longleat, Wiltshire, and also attributed to Saunders, see those sold Christie’s, Longleat, 13 June 2002, lot 338 (£68,000). A single chair, blending the designs of the Holkham suite and the present chairs, was sold Sotheby’s London, 31 October 2018, lot 331.

¹ A. Coleridge, Chippendale Furniture, London, 1968, p. 211, fig. 378.