ATTRIBUTED TO THOMAS CHIPPENDALE, CIRCA 1775 - 80

Several armchairs with closely related features are illustrated in C.Gilbert, The Life & Work of Thomas Chippendale, London, 1978. The cresting of the oval back, beaded decoration, and the leaf cup bracket beneath the arm support show similarities with a set of sixteen painted chairs supplied by Chippendale for Burton Constable, Yorkshire, around 1778 (ibid., vol.II, p.112, fig.192), while a set of ten with fluted seat rails and originally gilded was supplied by Chippendale in 1778 for Mersham, Kent (ibid., vol.II, p.115, fig.185). The attribution to Chippendale is further strengthened on constructional grounds; the V-shaped notches in the seat rails for securing cramps is a method characteristic of his work.
A related pair of armchairs was sold anonymously Christie's, London, 18 November 2010, lot 30 (£18,750 including premium).