A PAIR OF GEORGE II MAHOGANY WINDOW BENCHES

CIRCA 1755

Details

A PAIR OF GEORGE II MAHOGANY WINDOW BENCHES
Circa 1755
Each downswept padded seat covered with peach velvet, on cabriole legs and ball-and-claw feet, each headed by a foliate cabochon, formerly with casters
21in. (55cm.) high, 28in. (72.5cm.) wide, 19in. (49.5cm.) deep (2)

Provenance

Sir John Ramsden, Bulstrode, Buckinghamshire, sold Christie's London, 23 May 1932, lot 77.
The late Colonel John Alston, The Albany, sold Sotheby's London, 22 May 1969, lot 64.
The Estate of Joe and Madeleine Bain, sold in these Rooms, 12 October 1996, lot 177.

Lot Essay

These stools once formed part of the celebrated collection of Sir John Ramsden at Bulstrode Park, Buckinghamshire, a Portland family home, which is now demolished. The cabochon-embellished knee representing 'love's trophy' appears in a chair pattern in Thomas Chippendale's The Director of 1763, pl.XI. While it is uncertain whether Sir John inherited Bulstrode, it is interesting that Chippendale is recorded working for the 3rd Duke of Portland at Burlington House in London in 1766. As such, it is tempting to introduce the possibility that these stools may have been an original commission for the family and produced in Chippendale's workshop.

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