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Lot Essay
The settee bears the stamp 'FS', the precise stamp that appears on a suite of seat furniture supplied by Francois Hervé for the 5th Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth (sold by The Trustees of the Chatsworth Settlement; Christie's, London, 23 June 1983, lot 61). Hervé is renowned for his commission supplying furniture for the Prince of Wales at his London palace Carlton House.
The matching shield-back armchairs from this suite were recently sold from Lyons Demesne, Christie's, London, 14 July 2011, lot 300 (£39,650). The chairs conform to a design by the architect James Wyatt (d. 1813) which also suggests the whorl profile of the settee's back (see J. Cornforth and J. Fowler, English Decoration in the 18th Century, 1974, fig. 13). Interestingly, particularly in light of the attached label, Hervé is thought to have worked with Wyatt for the Duke of Devonshire's brother-in-law, The Duke of Portland, at Welbeck Abbey.
The matching shield-back armchairs from this suite were recently sold from Lyons Demesne, Christie's, London, 14 July 2011, lot 300 (£39,650). The chairs conform to a design by the architect James Wyatt (d. 1813) which also suggests the whorl profile of the settee's back (see J. Cornforth and J. Fowler, English Decoration in the 18th Century, 1974, fig. 13). Interestingly, particularly in light of the attached label, Hervé is thought to have worked with Wyatt for the Duke of Devonshire's brother-in-law, The Duke of Portland, at Welbeck Abbey.