FIRST HALF 19TH CENTURY

The present chairs, whilst not original to Shugborough, were loaned to The National Trust on account of their similarity to the type of furnishings that were introduced to Shugborough by the Lichfield M.P., Thomas Anson (d. 1818) around the time of his elevation to Viscount Anson and Baron Soberton in 1806. Anson employed the architect Samuel Wyatt (d. 1807) to aggrandise Shugborough's dining-room, conceiving it as an Athenian banqueting room. A set of ormolu-mounted mahogany library seat furniture is at Shugborough (illustrated in the Library, Martin Robinson, op. cit., p. 76). Much of the furniture from Regency Shugborough was sold in the Shugborough sale held by George Robins in 1842 (1-12 August, lots 16-25). Some of Anson's Saloon seat-furniture, described as having 'scroll backs' and 'or-molu mountings' was included (two of its armchairs were probably those sold by Lord Croft, The Croft Castle sale, Sotheby's, London, 6 June 2002, lot 73). The Saloon's bronze-enriched mahogany seat-furniture was supplied by the celebrated Grosvenor Street Upholsterers, Charles Smith & Co. This firm, while in partnership with William Key, had been amongst the subscribers to Thomas Sheraton's Cabinet Dictionary, 1803. The present chair pattern relates to a number of Sheraton's Grecian designs, and its scrolled tablet appears alongside an 'Apollo's Chair' on his 'Consul Chair' engraving in the Encyclopaedia (pl. 10 of Chairs). Another similar set is at Crichel, Dorset and illustrated in C. Hussey, English Country Houses: Mid-Georgian, London, 1956, p. 153. A closely related composite set of thirteen (in total) comprising four Regency armchairs, four Regency side chairs and one armchair and four side chairs made later to match, was sold anonymously, Park West sale, Christie's, London, 22 May 2003, lot 10 (£33,000).

THE ICONOGRAPHY
These Grecian-scrolled and squab-cushioned chairs are enriched with golden bronze bas-reliefs that evoke the poetry-deity Apollo, and reflect the French fashion promoted around 1800 by George IV, as Prince of Wales. Appropriate for a room-of-entertainment, the chairs are richly embellished with golden sacrificial libation-paterae. They embellish the Ionic voluted scrolls of their reed-inlaid tablet-rails, and form imbricated guilloches in the sunken flutes of their taper-hermed legs. Palms accompany the sunflowered paterae displayed in the cross-rails and recall Ovid's history of Apollo and his love Clytie from the Metamorphoses. Laurel-wreathed sunflower paterae wreath the seat-rails, which are further flowered with Roman acanthus.

VISCOUNT CHAPLIN
Henry Chaplin, 1st Viscount Chaplin, (1841-1923), best known as the squire of Blankney, was renowned for his involvement in horse racing as well as for his active life as a landowner and politician. During his early life, he was engaged to Lady Florence Paget. She was also known as the 'Pocket Venus' on account of her great beauty and tiny figure. Despite her engagement, Lady Florence was won over by the charms of another admirer, Henry Plantagenet, the 4th Marquess of Hastings. This resulted in an impromptu marriage between the pair, leaving Chaplin devastated on the morning of his impending marriage and causing a great uproar amongst society. Nevertheless, Chaplin managed to get his own back when Hastings wagered thousands of pounds against his horse Hermit, in the 1867 Derby. Hermit's victory in the race resulted in Hastings descending heavily into debt, and shortly after, he died in poverty. At this point, Chaplin had entered into politics as Conservative MP for Mid-Lincolnshire, and later became the first Minister of Agriculture in 1889. In 1876 he married Florence, daughter of the 3rd Duke of Sutherland, and their daughter Edith became wife of the 7th Marquess of Londonderry. Chaplin lived life to the full, his love of horses and riding remaining with him until his death in 1923.