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Lot Essay
The use of zoomorphic arm rests and with the back in the shape of a shell, this chair is similar to seat furniture produced in St. Petersburg in the first half of the nineteenth century. It is particularly closely related to the oeuvre of Andrei Voronikhin (1759-1814) and his work for the refurbishment of Pavlovsk Palace after a fire in 1803, which had destroyed much of the original decoration. The ormolu-mounted metal band of the seat rail also echoes the popularity of metal furnishings in Russia in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. An identical chair is photographed in situ in the collection of Samuel Courtauld at Home House, circa 1931.
Along with a number of other pieces in the Getty collection, including Nijinsky's portrait by Blanche, the superb dining room chandelier by the Galle workshop, and a George III automaton table dressing mirror (lots 9, 32 and 581, respectively), this chair was once in the collection of the Hon. Daisy Fellowes (née Marguerite Séverine Philippine Decazes de Glücksberg, 1890-1962), a renowned society figure and celebrated fashion icon and tastemaker. Her apartment at 69 rue de Lille was decorated by Georges Geffroy (1903-1971), the prominent Parisian society decorator, who designed the interiors for the Hôtel Lambert for Baron Alexis de Rédé in 1948 and also the renowned Parisian apartment of Loel and Gloria Guinness, later owned by Nelia Barletta de Cates at 18 Avenue Matignon, among many others. An avid collector of French furniture himself, Geffroy's personal collection contained pieces by Jacob, Weisweiler and Riesener, and other top makers. The rue de Lille apartment, which was purchased with her second husband Reginald Fellowes after the war, was a sumptuous assemblage of European furniture, European and Asian objets d'art, and paintings, see "Dernier regard sur l'hôtel particulier du faubourg Saint-Germain dans lequel régna l'Honorable Mrs. Reginald Fellowes," Connaissance des Arts, April 1977, pp. 86-93. in 1991 this chair was sold by Daisy Fellowes' son from the collection at Donnington Grove, Berkshire. Built in the 1760s by John Chute (1701-1776) for James Pettit Andrews, author and antiquary, Donnington Grove was the English country home of Mrs. Fellowes. The house was once described by Nicolaus Pevsner as 'a little Gothic gem,' and Mrs. Fellowes used her discerning eye to passionately restore it to its former glory, particularly pursuing her liking for gothic, chinoiserie whimsey, which had not only attracted her to the house in the beginning, but is also evident in this chair.
Along with a number of other pieces in the Getty collection, including Nijinsky's portrait by Blanche, the superb dining room chandelier by the Galle workshop, and a George III automaton table dressing mirror (lots 9, 32 and 581, respectively), this chair was once in the collection of the Hon. Daisy Fellowes (née Marguerite Séverine Philippine Decazes de Glücksberg, 1890-1962), a renowned society figure and celebrated fashion icon and tastemaker. Her apartment at 69 rue de Lille was decorated by Georges Geffroy (1903-1971), the prominent Parisian society decorator, who designed the interiors for the Hôtel Lambert for Baron Alexis de Rédé in 1948 and also the renowned Parisian apartment of Loel and Gloria Guinness, later owned by Nelia Barletta de Cates at 18 Avenue Matignon, among many others. An avid collector of French furniture himself, Geffroy's personal collection contained pieces by Jacob, Weisweiler and Riesener, and other top makers. The rue de Lille apartment, which was purchased with her second husband Reginald Fellowes after the war, was a sumptuous assemblage of European furniture, European and Asian objets d'art, and paintings, see "Dernier regard sur l'hôtel particulier du faubourg Saint-Germain dans lequel régna l'Honorable Mrs. Reginald Fellowes," Connaissance des Arts, April 1977, pp. 86-93. in 1991 this chair was sold by Daisy Fellowes' son from the collection at Donnington Grove, Berkshire. Built in the 1760s by John Chute (1701-1776) for James Pettit Andrews, author and antiquary, Donnington Grove was the English country home of Mrs. Fellowes. The house was once described by Nicolaus Pevsner as 'a little Gothic gem,' and Mrs. Fellowes used her discerning eye to passionately restore it to its former glory, particularly pursuing her liking for gothic, chinoiserie whimsey, which had not only attracted her to the house in the beginning, but is also evident in this chair.