A MATCHED SET OF FOUR BLACK AND GILT-JAPANNED SPOON-BACK CHAIRS
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A MATCHED SET OF FOUR BLACK AND GILT-JAPANNED SPOON-BACK CHAIRS

ONE REGENCY, CIRCA 1810, THREE SUPPLIED BY WILLIAM HAINES

Details
A MATCHED SET OF FOUR BLACK AND GILT-JAPANNED SPOON-BACK CHAIRS
ONE REGENCY, CIRCA 1810, THREE SUPPLIED BY WILLIAM HAINES
Each with a spoon back painted with central landscape medallions surrounded by bamboo trees
Provenance
Property formerly in the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Jack Warner Sold by David Geffen, Christie's, New York, 12 October 1990, lot 187.
Special notice
Please note lots marked with a square will be moved to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services (CFASS in Red Hook, Brooklyn) on the last day of the sale. Lots are not available for collection at Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services until after the third business day following the sale. All lots will be stored free of charge for 30 days from the auction date at Christie’s Rockefeller Center or Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services (CFASS in Red Hook, Brooklyn). Operation hours for collection from either location are from 9.30 am to 5.00 pm, Monday-Friday. After 30 days from the auction date property may be moved at Christie’s discretion. Please contact Post-Sale Services to confirm the location of your property prior to collection. Lots may not be collected during the day of their move to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services (CFASS in Red Hook, Brooklyn). Please consult the Lot Collection Notice for collection information.

Lot Essay

Jack L. Warner's Beverly Hills mansion was designed by architect Roland E. Coate, with the interior installed by William Haines. Haines is credited with ushering in the trend for neoclassical interiors in Hollywood, and the Warner house exemplified the design that became Haines’ trademark: classic 18th century interiors with a touch of whimsy. These chairs, sold by David Geffen in 1990, transitioned seamlessly into the home of Betsy Bloomingdale.

In W. Mann, Wiscracker: The Life and Times of William Haines, Hollywood's First Openly Gay Star, Viking, New York, 1998, p. 335, Betsy Bloomingdale recalls a dinner party held at Jack Warner's Los Angeles house: "I remember there were four of these wonderful, marvelous black lacquered chairs of Billy Haines' design. I remember everything about that night - the servants, the dinner. What's been so wonderful for me is that eventually in my life, Bill Haines did a house for me, too. I got a Crown Derby dinner service, just like there was on the table at the Warners' that night. And when the Warner furniture went up for auction, I bought those four black lacquered chairs and have them now in my house."

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