William Douglas was a decorator colleague of Mackintosh who was contracted by Mackintosh on several commissions, including Hous'hill. Douglas originally owned four of the above chairs, which were approximately 1" taller than the Hous'hill original, and differed slightly in the construction of the seat. All four chairs were offered at auction in Glasgow in 1971, whence they were dispersed to several collections, including the Hunterian Museum, Glasgow. The present chair was last offered at auction Sotheby's Monte Carlo 9 October 1983, Lot 205.
Douglas also owned versions of the small side chair and dressing table chairs from the Blue Bedroom at Hous'hill. It is not known whether Mackintosh was directly involved in the production of any these pieces, and it is possible that they were made by Douglas himself.
We are grateful to Roger Billcliffe for his help in clarifying this catalogue entry.