A PAIR OF IRISH GEORGE II WALNUT SIDE CHAIRS

CIRCA 1740

Details

A PAIR OF IRISH GEORGE II WALNUT SIDE CHAIRS
CIRCA 1740
Each cabochon-carved crest over a pierced vasiform splat and in-curved sides with later gros and petit-point needlework seat, on foliate cabochon-carved cabriole legs with side brackets carved as birds heads, on hairy paw feet, both with crayon inscription 2940-178, one with a partial printed Sotheby's London label along with an auction catalogue description above an ink label inscribed Lady Limerick confirms the above note in the Sale book and she is a relation of the Nugents and remembers the chairs and a red printed paper label FROM THE COLLECTION OF NICHOLAS ARGENTI 1934 and with inventory number A/8 (2)

Provenance

The Nugent Family, sold Sotheby's London, (sale date unknown), lot 132 [as per the label].
The Collection of Nicholas Argenti, 1934 [as per label].
Anonymous Sale; Christie's, New York, 28 March 1981, lot 203.
Acquired from Malcolm Franklin, Chicago (purchased at the Winter Antiques Show), 13 February 1982.

Literature

The Magazine Antiques, December 1981 (trade advertisement).

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Lot Essay

The various labels to the underside of one chair hint at the provenance within the Nugent and Argenti collections. The chairs were sold at Sotheby's by the Nugent family although the precise sale information cannot be confirmed. Lady Limerick, who reputedly confirmed the Nugent provenance, is likely to have been Angela Oliva Trotter, wife of 5th Earl of Limerick and daughter of Lt.Col Sir Henry Trotter and Olivia Georgiana Wellesley. She was styled the Countess of Limerick in 1929 and received numerous honors for her work with the British Red Cross during World War II. The branch of the Nugent family that owned these chairs may have descended from Baron Greville, who married the only daughter of George Nugent, 1st Marquess of Westmeath. This would tie together two Irish peers - the Earls of Limerick, and the Marquesses of Westmeath - and support Lady Limerick's claim to have been 'a relation of the Nugents'. Nicholas Argenti may be the well-known London paintings collector.
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