.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
This French form of 'cabriolet' chair with roman 'pelta' shield back was introduced in the 1770's and relates to a pattern by the architect James Wyatt (d.1813) as shown in a room elevation (see J.Cornforth and J.Fowler, English Decoration in the 18th Century, 1974, p.29, fig.13).
The shield-back armchairs relate closely to a design from the Estimate Sketch Books of the firm of Gillows of Lancaster and London. The design, featuring leaf-carved frames, and dated 25.10.86, was commissioned for Mr. Robert Peel, Esq., and the leaf carving was attributed to H.Gibson. A set of four chairs of this pattern sold Christie's New York, 22 April 1999, lot 76, bore a pencil inscription to the underside R Gillow, which presumably referred to either Richard Gillow (d.1811) or Robert II (d.1795), sons of the company founder Robert Gillow (d.1772).
JOHN WORDSWORTH
John Wordsworth was born in 1843 into a clerical family, his father the Right Rev. Christopher Wordsworth, later Bishop of Lincoln, was nephew of the poet William Wordsworth. He was a distinguished scholar and cleric becoming Bishop of Salisbury in 1885. Shortly afterwards he inaugurated the Salisbury Church Day School Association which was responsible for creating three new primary schools and extending the existing St.Thomas' School. He also founded his own school on land he purchased adjoining the Bishop's Palace, which was renamed after his death in 1911 Bishop Wordsworth's School.
THE BISHOP'S PALACE, SALISBURY
The Bishop's Palace at Salisbury, now Salisbury Cathedral School, was home to the Bishops of Salisbury from the 13th Century to 1947 when it became a choristers' school. Legend has it that the Palace was founded on the spot where an arrow, fired from the ramparts of Old Sarum, landed. Another account is that its location appeared to Bishop Poore in a dream.
The Palace has had a turbulent history, hosting royalty including James I and his son, Charles I, who regularly stayed at the Palace favouring Salisbury above all other parts of his kingdom. During the Civil War it became an ale house and provided lodgings for the poor. In 1689 King James II, anticipating battle in the defence of his kingdom against the protestant William of Orange, stayed at the Palace en route to Lyme Bay, but he delayed for three crucial days, William prevailed and James was subsequently exiled to France.
However, in its picturesque location adjacent to Salisbury Cathedral, described in Pevsner as "one of the most poetic conceptions of the Middle Ages", the Bishop's Palace is fortuitous. The view of the cathedral is immediately recognisable from Constable's 1823 painting Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop's Grounds commissioned by Bishop John Fisher (fl. 1807-25).
The Palace comprises some of Bishop Poore's original structure of circa 1220 and other elements from 1460-1500, though most of the building dates from the 17th Century, later additions having been commissioned by successive bishops. Salisbury Cathedral underwent significant repair and change in 1790 under the direction of James Wyatt, suggesting a tantalising link with the present lot.
The shield-back armchairs relate closely to a design from the Estimate Sketch Books of the firm of Gillows of Lancaster and London. The design, featuring leaf-carved frames, and dated 25.10.86, was commissioned for Mr. Robert Peel, Esq., and the leaf carving was attributed to H.Gibson. A set of four chairs of this pattern sold Christie's New York, 22 April 1999, lot 76, bore a pencil inscription to the underside R Gillow, which presumably referred to either Richard Gillow (d.1811) or Robert II (d.1795), sons of the company founder Robert Gillow (d.1772).
JOHN WORDSWORTH
John Wordsworth was born in 1843 into a clerical family, his father the Right Rev. Christopher Wordsworth, later Bishop of Lincoln, was nephew of the poet William Wordsworth. He was a distinguished scholar and cleric becoming Bishop of Salisbury in 1885. Shortly afterwards he inaugurated the Salisbury Church Day School Association which was responsible for creating three new primary schools and extending the existing St.Thomas' School. He also founded his own school on land he purchased adjoining the Bishop's Palace, which was renamed after his death in 1911 Bishop Wordsworth's School.
THE BISHOP'S PALACE, SALISBURY
The Bishop's Palace at Salisbury, now Salisbury Cathedral School, was home to the Bishops of Salisbury from the 13th Century to 1947 when it became a choristers' school. Legend has it that the Palace was founded on the spot where an arrow, fired from the ramparts of Old Sarum, landed. Another account is that its location appeared to Bishop Poore in a dream.
The Palace has had a turbulent history, hosting royalty including James I and his son, Charles I, who regularly stayed at the Palace favouring Salisbury above all other parts of his kingdom. During the Civil War it became an ale house and provided lodgings for the poor. In 1689 King James II, anticipating battle in the defence of his kingdom against the protestant William of Orange, stayed at the Palace en route to Lyme Bay, but he delayed for three crucial days, William prevailed and James was subsequently exiled to France.
However, in its picturesque location adjacent to Salisbury Cathedral, described in Pevsner as "one of the most poetic conceptions of the Middle Ages", the Bishop's Palace is fortuitous. The view of the cathedral is immediately recognisable from Constable's 1823 painting Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop's Grounds commissioned by Bishop John Fisher (fl. 1807-25).
The Palace comprises some of Bishop Poore's original structure of circa 1220 and other elements from 1460-1500, though most of the building dates from the 17th Century, later additions having been commissioned by successive bishops. Salisbury Cathedral underwent significant repair and change in 1790 under the direction of James Wyatt, suggesting a tantalising link with the present lot.