EIGHT CHAIRS GEORGE II (INCLUDING AN OPEN ARMCHAIR), TWO 19TH CENTURY

Details

A SET OF TEN IRISH MAHOGANY DINING-CHAIRS
Eight Chairs George II (Including An Open Armchair), Two 19th Century
Each with a scrolled and shaped vase-shaped splat below a shell cresting between serpentine stiles, the armchair with downscrolled outcurved arms carved with foliage on acanthus-carved downswept supports, the bowed drop-in seat covered in gros point floral needlework on a brown ground, the front seatrail centred by a shell, on cabriole legs each headed by a shell and on paw feet, joined by a waved H-shaped stretcher, restorations and replacements, particularly to the angle-brackets and veneer of the seatrails, two with paper label printed BEVERLY SMYTH & SONS FURNITURE WAREHOUSEMEN 30 SOUTH ANNE STREET, DUBLIN D4367, lacking three angle-brackets, two chairs incised WB (10)

Provenance

Possibly Sir Thomas Taylour (1686-1757), Ireland.
By descent to the Marquesses of Headfort, Headfort House, Co. Meath, Ireland.
Thence by descent.

Sale room notice

Of the eight 18th Century chairs, three are possibly 18th or 19th Century (incised I, II and IIIIV).

In conclusion four single chairs (incised XI, XIII, XIIII and XII) and the armchair are mid-18th Century, three are 18th or 19th Century (incised I, II, and IIIIV) and two are 19th Century (incised WB).

Lot Essay

The serpentine-framed parlour chairs, richly embellished with Venus-shells on the compass-fronted seat-rail and with legs that terminate in bacchic lion-paws emerging from Roman acanthus foliage, correspond to an armchair at Malahide Castle in The McDonnell Room, (G. Kenyon, The Irish Furniture at Malahide Castle, Dublin, 1994, p. 92.)
Sir Thomas Taylour, 2nd Bt., started building Headfort House in 1754. It was completed by his son, Thomas, later 1st Earl of Bective, who commissioned designs for the central part which is attributed to George Semple. He later commissioned Robert Adam to design the interior reception rooms and although Adam never visited Headfort, his designs, dating from 1771-1775, were faithfully executed.

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