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Lot Essay
THE DESIGN With its arched crest and Chinese-railed back with central rectangular tablet, the chair relates to a pattern in Robert Manwaring's The Chair-Maker's Friend, 1765 (reproduced in A. Coleridge, Chippendale Furniture, New York, 1968, fig. 133). The same patterned back, but lacking certain elements and with different terminations to the uprights, features on eight armchairs, reported to bear heraldic thistles on the crest-rails, at Firle Place, Sussex (The Connoisseur, June 1955, p. 81, fig. 3). Three side chairs with closely related patterned backs were sold Christie's, London, 7 May 1987, lot 116.
Another suite, with related backs crowned by a griffin crest, was formerly at Treworgey Manor, Somerset from the family of Nicholas Connock (d. 1757). Four chairs from the suite are in the collections at Temple Newsam House, Leeds (illustrated in C. Gilbert, Furniture at Temple Newsam House and Lotherton Hall, Leeds, 1978, vol. 1, no. 69; and vol. III, 1998, p. 721) while two further pairs were sold from an American private collection, Sotheby's, New York, 16-17 April 1998, lots 804-805.
THE BRAMSHILL PROVENANCE THE CHAIRS ONCE FORMED PART OF THE COLLECTION AT BRAMSHILL IN HAMPSHIRE WHERE THEY APPEAR IN A 1923 PHOTOGRAPH OF THE CHAPEL ROOM WITH ITS 'ADMIRABLE RENNAISSANCE DESIGN' CEILING. THE CHAIRS MAY HAVE BEEN SUPPLIED TO SIR MONNOUX COPE, 7TH BT. OF HANWELL AND BRAMSHILL FOR BRAMSHILL PARK, HAMPSHIRE. COPE, WHO SUCCEEDED AS 7TH BARONET IN 1749, APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN REFURBISHING AT THE TIME OF HIS ACCESSION GIVEN THE OTHER FURNISHINGS FROM BRAMSHILL OF THE SAME DATE. FOR INSTANCE, COPE MAY HAVE PATRONIZED THE BERKELEY SQUARE CABINET-MAKER WILLIAM LINNELL (D. 1765) AS A PAIR OF MIRRORS FROM BRAMSHILL AND NOW AT EVERSLY MANOR ARE PARTICULARLY CLOSE TO A DRAWING BY JOHN LINNELL AT THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM, LONDON (SEE H. HAYWARD AND P. KIRKHAM, WILLIAM AND JOHN LINNELL, LONDON, 1980, VOL. I, P. 77 AND VOL. II, P. 98, FIG. 187). A SUITE OF 'GOTHIC' STYLE SEAT FURNITURE ALSO IN THE CHAPEL ROOM FEATURES CLUSTER-COLUMN LEGS AND NEEDLEWORK COVERING. TWO OF THE SIX SIDE CHAIRS FROM THIS SUITE WERE MOST RECENTLY SOLD AT CHRISTIE'S, NEW YORK, 16 APRIL 1994, LOT 156; WHILE A PAIR OF STOOLS SOLD FROM THE ESTATE OF MRS. JOHN HAY WHITNEY, SOTHEBY'S, NEW YORK, 23 APRIL 1999, LOT 119. A PAIR OF GEORGE I GILTWOOD WALL SCONCES ALSO FROM THE CHAPEL ROOM AT BRAMSHILL DESCENDED IN THE COPE FAMILY AND WERE SUBSEQUENTLY GIFTED TO THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART BY JUDGE IRWIN UNTERMYER IN 1964 WHERE THEY ARE NOW ON VIEW (SEE Y. HACKENBROCH, ENGLISH FURNITURE WITH SOME FURNITURE OF OTHER COUNTRIES IN THE IRWIN UNTERMYER COLLECTION, NORWICH, 1958, PL. 155, FIG. 187).
A SETTEE FROM BRAMSHILL, LOT 123 IN THIS SALE, FORMS PART OF A SUITE WHICH WAS ALSO SOLD IN THE 1931 AUCTION. AT THAT TIME THE SUITE INCLUDED A PAIR OF ARMCHAIRS AND TWELVE SIDE CHAIRS.
BUILT IN 1612, BRAMSHILL WAS PURCHSAED BY SIR JOHN COPE IN 1699 AND REMAINED IN THE FAMILY UNTIL SOLD TO LORD BROCKET IN 1937.
Another suite, with related backs crowned by a griffin crest, was formerly at Treworgey Manor, Somerset from the family of Nicholas Connock (d. 1757). Four chairs from the suite are in the collections at Temple Newsam House, Leeds (illustrated in C. Gilbert, Furniture at Temple Newsam House and Lotherton Hall, Leeds, 1978, vol. 1, no. 69; and vol. III, 1998, p. 721) while two further pairs were sold from an American private collection, Sotheby's, New York, 16-17 April 1998, lots 804-805.
THE BRAMSHILL PROVENANCE THE CHAIRS ONCE FORMED PART OF THE COLLECTION AT BRAMSHILL IN HAMPSHIRE WHERE THEY APPEAR IN A 1923 PHOTOGRAPH OF THE CHAPEL ROOM WITH ITS 'ADMIRABLE RENNAISSANCE DESIGN' CEILING. THE CHAIRS MAY HAVE BEEN SUPPLIED TO SIR MONNOUX COPE, 7TH BT. OF HANWELL AND BRAMSHILL FOR BRAMSHILL PARK, HAMPSHIRE. COPE, WHO SUCCEEDED AS 7TH BARONET IN 1749, APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN REFURBISHING AT THE TIME OF HIS ACCESSION GIVEN THE OTHER FURNISHINGS FROM BRAMSHILL OF THE SAME DATE. FOR INSTANCE, COPE MAY HAVE PATRONIZED THE BERKELEY SQUARE CABINET-MAKER WILLIAM LINNELL (D. 1765) AS A PAIR OF MIRRORS FROM BRAMSHILL AND NOW AT EVERSLY MANOR ARE PARTICULARLY CLOSE TO A DRAWING BY JOHN LINNELL AT THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM, LONDON (SEE H. HAYWARD AND P. KIRKHAM, WILLIAM AND JOHN LINNELL, LONDON, 1980, VOL. I, P. 77 AND VOL. II, P. 98, FIG. 187). A SUITE OF 'GOTHIC' STYLE SEAT FURNITURE ALSO IN THE CHAPEL ROOM FEATURES CLUSTER-COLUMN LEGS AND NEEDLEWORK COVERING. TWO OF THE SIX SIDE CHAIRS FROM THIS SUITE WERE MOST RECENTLY SOLD AT CHRISTIE'S, NEW YORK, 16 APRIL 1994, LOT 156; WHILE A PAIR OF STOOLS SOLD FROM THE ESTATE OF MRS. JOHN HAY WHITNEY, SOTHEBY'S, NEW YORK, 23 APRIL 1999, LOT 119. A PAIR OF GEORGE I GILTWOOD WALL SCONCES ALSO FROM THE CHAPEL ROOM AT BRAMSHILL DESCENDED IN THE COPE FAMILY AND WERE SUBSEQUENTLY GIFTED TO THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART BY JUDGE IRWIN UNTERMYER IN 1964 WHERE THEY ARE NOW ON VIEW (SEE Y. HACKENBROCH, ENGLISH FURNITURE WITH SOME FURNITURE OF OTHER COUNTRIES IN THE IRWIN UNTERMYER COLLECTION, NORWICH, 1958, PL. 155, FIG. 187).
A SETTEE FROM BRAMSHILL, LOT 123 IN THIS SALE, FORMS PART OF A SUITE WHICH WAS ALSO SOLD IN THE 1931 AUCTION. AT THAT TIME THE SUITE INCLUDED A PAIR OF ARMCHAIRS AND TWELVE SIDE CHAIRS.
BUILT IN 1612, BRAMSHILL WAS PURCHSAED BY SIR JOHN COPE IN 1699 AND REMAINED IN THE FAMILY UNTIL SOLD TO LORD BROCKET IN 1937.