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Lot Essay
This pair of richly-japanned side chairs are conceived in a similar manner to the renowned set of over 70 pieces of japanned furniture purchased from the Clerkenwell cabinet-maker Giles Grendey, by the Duque de Mendoza-Infantado in about 1738 for his castle at Lazcano, northern Spain. Interestingly, the Lazcano set passed through the hands of the Venice-based dealer Adolfo Loewi in 1930 who also owned the current pair which raises the possibility that these chairs may be from the same set.
Many idiosyncracies found on the Lazcano set appear on the present pair which support that they were made for export trade. First, the scarlet and gilt-japanned surface which appealed to the Spanish love of exuberant decoration. Second, the shape of the chair is stylistically that of a Queen Anne chair: while the architects, designers and cabinet-makers in England in the 1730s and 40s were responding to the classicizing influence of William Kent and Inigo Jones, Spain, by contrast, appears to have resisted these changes and the English style of the early 18th Century remained popular in Spain. Third, the high cabriole leg and use of stretchers are both physical features of native Spanish chairs of this date, the stretchers being used to strengthen the beech frames (C. Gilbert, 'Furniture by Giles Grendey for the Spanish Trade', Antiques, XCIX, 1971, pp. 544-50).
Two pairs of chairs of similar form and decoration although with caned seats and splat centered caned backs have appeared at auction recently, a pair sold anonymously, Christie's, London, 6 July 2000, lot 58 and the second pair, Sotheby's, New York, 7 April 2004, lot 179. The latter were possibly from Lady Scarsdale, Kedleston Hall based on the provenance of those sold from The Collection of Marjorie Wiggin Prescott, Christie's, New York, 31 January 1981, lot 349. A virtually identical pair to the current lot was sold anonymously, Sotheby's, New York, 7 April 2004, lot 181.
Many idiosyncracies found on the Lazcano set appear on the present pair which support that they were made for export trade. First, the scarlet and gilt-japanned surface which appealed to the Spanish love of exuberant decoration. Second, the shape of the chair is stylistically that of a Queen Anne chair: while the architects, designers and cabinet-makers in England in the 1730s and 40s were responding to the classicizing influence of William Kent and Inigo Jones, Spain, by contrast, appears to have resisted these changes and the English style of the early 18th Century remained popular in Spain. Third, the high cabriole leg and use of stretchers are both physical features of native Spanish chairs of this date, the stretchers being used to strengthen the beech frames (C. Gilbert, 'Furniture by Giles Grendey for the Spanish Trade', Antiques, XCIX, 1971, pp. 544-50).
Two pairs of chairs of similar form and decoration although with caned seats and splat centered caned backs have appeared at auction recently, a pair sold anonymously, Christie's, London, 6 July 2000, lot 58 and the second pair, Sotheby's, New York, 7 April 2004, lot 179. The latter were possibly from Lady Scarsdale, Kedleston Hall based on the provenance of those sold from The Collection of Marjorie Wiggin Prescott, Christie's, New York, 31 January 1981, lot 349. A virtually identical pair to the current lot was sold anonymously, Sotheby's, New York, 7 April 2004, lot 181.