Lot Essay
This distinguished set of chairs with their bold backs and convex aprons came from Glendon Hall, Northamptonshire. Originally in the Lane family, Glendon came into the possession of Sir John Booth, a member of the Duke of Montagu's militia, sometime between 1720 and 1745. It is possible that his marriage to Phoebe Wilkinson, an heiress, enabled the acquisition of the property. The house remained in the Booth family through 1922, when it was featured in a Country Life article (J.A. Gotch, 'Glendon Hall, Northamptonshire, The Seat of Mrs. Richard Booth', 25 November 1922, pp. 676-681). Glendon contained a magnificent collection of fine art and works of art with many of the paintings including two Van Dycks, a Ter Borg and a Rembrandt coming from the Duke of Buckingham's collection ('Stowe House, Buckingham', Christie's, 15 August-30 September 1848). Two monumental garden statues representing Aene and Anchise and Abel and Cain came from Boughton House, Northamptonshire, seat of the Duke of Buccleuch. The present chairs are illustrated in the Gallery at Glendon. An additional photograph of a single chair is captioned 'Chippendale-type chair of remarkably fine workmanship'.