A SUITE OF GEORGE III GILTWOOD CHAIRS ATTRIBUTED TO FRANCOIS HERVE (Lots 21-23)
These 'Louis XVI' chair-frames, with medallion-cartouche back and fluted columnar legs, are embellished with flowered tablets, voluted scrolls and beribboned mouldings of twined-thread and pearled guilloche in the 'antique' manner popularised by the furniture-engravings of the architect Jean-Charles Delafosse (d.1789), which were published in conjuction with his Nouvelles Iconologies 1768-71.
With their pegged construction of quadrant-headed leg and stepped rosette block, they relate to the documented oeuvre of the Parisian-trained menuisier François Hervé of John Street, London. A partner of John Meschat, 'Cabinet and Chair maker', Hervé enjoyed the patronage of George, Prince of Wales and was employed at Carlton House between 1783-94 under Henry Holland's direction. It is, therefore, pertinent that Henry Holland was also engaged by John, Viscount Mountstuart (d.1794) to rebuild Cardiff Castle circa 1777-8.
Although related to Parisian-manufactured fauteuils of the late 1760's (such as that stamped by Sulpice Brizard, maître in 1762, illustrated in P. Kjellberg, Le Mobilier Français du XVIIIe Siècle, Paris, 1989, p.119), the basic arm-pattern also featured on a suite of needlework-upholstered 'cabriole' chairs supplied by the 'upholder' James Cullen (d.1779) circa 1774 for the richly-mirrored drawing-room created by the architect Robert Adam at Northumberland House, London. Cullen was certainly involved with Reilly and Cobb in importing French patterns and furniture, but his role seems to have been purely in his capacity as owner of the warehouse, and it seems much more probable that the Northumberland House chairs were executed in England (D.Owsley, W. Rieder, The Glass Drawing-Room from Northumberland House, London, 1964). While Adam was drawing up his schemes for the Northumberland room, he was also supplying designs for the decoration and furnishings of the 3rd Earl of Bute's drawing-room at Luton Park, Bedfordshire. The drawing-room pier-tables which he designed for Luton, engraved in 1772 and illustrated in R. Adam, The Works in Architecture of Robert and James Adam, II, 1822, pl. VIII, interestingly also featured fluted columnar legs and ribbon-guilloche friezes. It is, therefore, certainly conceivable that this suite of chairs was supplied for the same room.
A further set of six chairs, which may originally have formed part of this suite, was sold by the Executors of the late Francis Gerald, 7th Viscount Clifden in these Rooms, 16 December 1966, lot 182.
A PAIR OF GEORGE III GILTWOOD OPEN ARMCHAIRS
ATTRIBUTED TO FRANÇOIS HERVÉ
Details
A PAIR OF GEORGE III GILTWOOD OPEN ARMCHAIRS
Attributed to François Hervé
Each with ribbon-tied channelled oval padded back with scrolled stiles, outcurved channelled padded arms and seat covered in metal-thread embroidered ivory silk with foliate tendrils and butterflies, the guilloche-carved seat-rail flanked by block rosettes, on turned tapering stop-fluted legs and toupie feet, the upholstery disressed, later gilded and with signs of original green underpainting, with pegged construction and batten carrying-holes (2)
Attributed to François Hervé
Each with ribbon-tied channelled oval padded back with scrolled stiles, outcurved channelled padded arms and seat covered in metal-thread embroidered ivory silk with foliate tendrils and butterflies, the guilloche-carved seat-rail flanked by block rosettes, on turned tapering stop-fluted legs and toupie feet, the upholstery disressed, later gilded and with signs of original green underpainting, with pegged construction and batten carrying-holes (2)
Provenance
Probably supplied either to John, 3rd Earl of Bute (1713-1792) for the drawing-room at Luton Park, circa 1767-74 or to John, Viscount Mountstuart, later 1st Marquess of Bute (1744-1814) for Cardiff Castle circa 1777-8.