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Lot Essay
In 1953 Cecil Turner took us to the opening of the Grosvenor House Antique Dealers' Fair and let us walk around for a half hour or so before the public was admitted. We saw this pair of chairs at the stall of Phillips of Hitchin and were very much drawn to them both because of their appealing design and the attractive needlework. We bought them on the spot.
D. R.
The present chairs are most probably ‘dressing chairs’ which are described in 18th century inventories of furniture in bedchambers or dressing rooms. The chief characteristic of dressing chairs seem to be that they have armrests, their backs are low compared with the high-backed chairs at the time, they are either totally upholstered or have solid backs and lastly they either occur as single chair or pairs, not sets. Not only do ‘dressing’ chairs occur in inventories but also in furniture-maker’s bills. The present chairs combine low padded backs above padded seats with arms all in walnut. The present chairs have curved armrests on faceted supports differing from other dressing chairs which often have ‘shepherd’s crook’ arms. For a full discussion on dressing chairs, see Adam Bowett, Early Georgian Furniture, 1715-1740, Woodbridge, 2009, pp. 188-189. A nearly identical chair which was with Mallett & Son (Antiques) (America) Ltd. New York was exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Grand Gallery CINOA Exhibition, 19 October 1974 - 5 January 1975 and illustrated in the catalogue, p. 203, no. 198.
D. R.
The present chairs are most probably ‘dressing chairs’ which are described in 18th century inventories of furniture in bedchambers or dressing rooms. The chief characteristic of dressing chairs seem to be that they have armrests, their backs are low compared with the high-backed chairs at the time, they are either totally upholstered or have solid backs and lastly they either occur as single chair or pairs, not sets. Not only do ‘dressing’ chairs occur in inventories but also in furniture-maker’s bills. The present chairs combine low padded backs above padded seats with arms all in walnut. The present chairs have curved armrests on faceted supports differing from other dressing chairs which often have ‘shepherd’s crook’ arms. For a full discussion on dressing chairs, see Adam Bowett, Early Georgian Furniture, 1715-1740, Woodbridge, 2009, pp. 188-189. A nearly identical chair which was with Mallett & Son (Antiques) (America) Ltd. New York was exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Grand Gallery CINOA Exhibition, 19 October 1974 - 5 January 1975 and illustrated in the catalogue, p. 203, no. 198.