CIRCA 1760

These 'sleigh' chairs are of almost identical form to those supplied to Sir Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford and first Prime Minister of Great Britain, for the Hall at Houghton, Norfolk. Recorded there in the 1745 Inventory, they were designed with base runners so that they could be taken out into the garden, the runners ensuring the weight was evenly distributed when placed on grass. Although this model enjoyed enduring popularity until the 1780's, these chairs are comparatively early examples, as the rich Gothick fretting on the serpentine toprails corresponds to patterns in Messrs. Mayhew and Ince's The Universal System of Household Furniture of 1762 ('Voiders' pl. XV).
A closely related pair was sold from the collection of John Keil, Sotheby's London, 7 April 1998, lot 202 (£5,175).