A GEORGE III GILTWOOD BERGÈRE
A GEORGE III GILTWOOD BERGÈRE
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This lot will be removed to Christie’s Park Royal.… Read more
A GEORGE III GILTWOOD BERGÈRE

CIRCA 1780-1795, IN THE MANNER OF FRANCOIS HERVÉ

Details
A GEORGE III GILTWOOD BERGÈRE
CIRCA 1780-1795, IN THE MANNER OF FRANCOIS HERVÉ
Carved with ribbon-tied husk pendants and florets on stop-fluted legs, inscribed to one back leg '875 Devonshire', originally painted, now lacking upholstery
37 ¼ in. (95 cm.) high; 25 ½ in. (65 cm.) wide; 27 in. (68.5 cm.) deep
Provenance
Probably supplied to Chatsworth House, Derbyshire or Devonshire House, London.
Anonymous sale; Bonham's, Knightsbridge, 30 September 2008, lot 182c.
Special notice
This lot will be removed to Christie’s Park Royal. Christie’s will inform you if the lot has been sent offsite. Our removal and storage of the lot is subject to the terms and conditions of storage which can be found at Christies.com/storage and our fees for storage are set out in the table below - these will apply whether the lot remains with Christie’s or is removed elsewhere. Please call Christie’s Client Service 24 hours in advance to book a collection time at Christie’s Park Royal. All collections from Christie’s Park Royal will be by pre-booked appointment only. Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060 Email: cscollectionsuk@christies.com. If the lot remains at Christie’s it will be available for collection on any working day 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. Lots are not available for collection at weekends.

Brought to you by

Charlotte Young
Charlotte Young

Lot Essay

Francois Hervé, Parisian cabinet maker and chairmaker (fl. 1781-96), is known to have worked for the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Devonshire and Earl Spencer. Hervé was in business at 32 Johns Street, off Tottenham Court Road, London from 1781 until at least 1791, thereafter being based at 64 John Street until 1796.
The present chair is inscribed '875 Devonshire' and is likely to have been part of the furnishings at Chatsworth House, Derbyshire or Devonshire House, London. It is likely that this bergère was an addition to one of the houses made by a provincial craftsman inspired by Hervé’s designs. Hervé’s particular personal leitmotif was the stepped seat rail, seen on the present chair and others by Hervé sold from Chatsworth; Christie’s, London, 23 June 1983, lots 58-62. Indeed, it is at Chatsworth that Hervé's style is best represented by documented pieces. When the 5th Duke came of age in 1769, he embarked on an extensive improvements to Chatsworth. This work continued following his marriage to Georgiana Spencer, daughter of the 1st Earl Spencer. As leaders of fashion and members of the Prince of Wales’ Francophile circle it is no surprise that their private apartments on the first floor, were remodeled in the most up-to-date of contemporary Anglo-French taste. In all, Hervé supplied over two hundred chairs for both Chatsworth and Devonshire House, and these ranged from the most simple of caned chairs to those with refined ornamental carving. For further discussion of the commissions at Chatsworth see I. Hall, ‘A Neoclassical Episode at Chatsworth’, The Burlington Magazine, June 1980. An armchair from one of these suites, and similar to the present lot, is illustrated in F. Collard, Regency Furniture, London, 1985, p. 30

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