LATE 19TH CENTURY

Details

AN ENGLISH MAHOGANY TWO-SEATER SOFA
LATE 19TH CENTURY
Covered in moorish embroidered textile
37in. (94cm.) high; 47in. (119.5cm.) wide

Provenance

By repute, the painter George Frederick Watts, Holland House, London. The Watts Gallery, Compton, near Guilford. Acquired for Wilfred Blunt, the curator, in the 1920's.

Special notice

This lot is offered without reserve. No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis. This lot is subject to storage and collection charges. **For Furniture and Decorative Objects, storage charges commence 7 days from sale. Please contact department for further details.**

Lot Essay

This sofa, which was removed in the 1970's from the gallery of the great Victorian symbolist painter George Frederick Watts, and sold by Wilfred Blunt in the early 1970's, may have formed part of the original Moorish-panelled & furnished interiors of Limnerslease, built by Ernest George in 1891. Prior to this, it may have come from 6 Melbury Road, Holland Park, where the artist had an orientalist-designed house/studio as did friends & contemporaries including William Burges, Albert Moore, William Holman Hunt & Lord Leighton, whose exotic interiors at Leighton House embodied the ultimate aesthetic ideal. The designer is unknown, however Liberty & William Morris may be contenders, due to their interesting connections with Mary Watts (who was a designer to Liberty) & George Frederick Watts.

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