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Lot Essay
This set of dining chairs was a gift of Judge Irwin Untermyer (1886-1973) who assembled one of the greatest collections of English decorative art in twentieth century America. They were part of a bequest of over 2000 works and represent some of the seminal examples of English furniture. Untermeyer was a discerning and knowledgeable collector and this set of chairs would have easily met his criteria; they are illustrated in Herbert Cescinksy’s books on English furniture which established the standard for aspiring collectors.
For many years, the chairs were on display in the dining room of Kirtlington Park, one of the period rooms installed in the Museum and considered to be one of the most beautiful Rococo rooms in England. (A. Peck et al., Period Rooms in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New Haven, p.136 and 139,). The chairs were part of a larger suite which is known to have included two additional side chairs and a pair of settees; they were also donated by Judge Untermyer and are the two following lots. One additional side chair is in Hammond House, Annapolis, Maryland and the other is in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (W.24-1951). The set may have originally included armchairs as one is illustrated in P. Macquoid, The Age of Mahogany, London, 1906, pp. 194-195, fig. 171 and noted as the property of Percy Heaton, Esq. but its present whereabouts is unknown.
The chairs were first recorded in a 1902 Country Life article on Westwood Park, Worcestershire where some are visible in the Long Gallery (reproduced here). Westwood was owned by Edward Partington (1836-1925), an industrialist who purchased the house in 1896 from Herbert Pakington, 3rd Baron Hampton (1848–1906), a descendant of the original Elizabethan owner. It is unknown if the chairs were sold with Westwood in 1896 or if they were acquired afterwards as only a 1786 inventory is known to exist. The chairs and the settees were part of the contents of Westwood that were sold at Sotheby’s, London 10 November 1950 (lots 138 and 139). They were purchased by Pelham Galleries who sold the fourteen chairs and the settees offered here to Judge Untermeyer.
The distinctive carving of acorns and oak leaves appears on two other related sets of chairs. A set of six, including two armchairs with a slightly different splat was in the collection of Mrs. Giles Whiting (H. Comstock, 'Furniture in the Collection of Mrs. Giles Whiting', The Magazine Antiques, February 1956, pp. 229-230, fig 3) and subsequently sold as George II style at Sotheby Parke-Bernet, New York, 15 April 1972, lot 371 ($1600). Another set of six chairs that included two armchairs with slightly different carving to the legs were sold from the collection of Edward C Knight, Claradon Court, Newport, at Anderson Galleries, New York, 29 January 1931, lot 467 (illustrated).
For many years, the chairs were on display in the dining room of Kirtlington Park, one of the period rooms installed in the Museum and considered to be one of the most beautiful Rococo rooms in England. (A. Peck et al., Period Rooms in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New Haven, p.136 and 139,). The chairs were part of a larger suite which is known to have included two additional side chairs and a pair of settees; they were also donated by Judge Untermyer and are the two following lots. One additional side chair is in Hammond House, Annapolis, Maryland and the other is in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (W.24-1951). The set may have originally included armchairs as one is illustrated in P. Macquoid, The Age of Mahogany, London, 1906, pp. 194-195, fig. 171 and noted as the property of Percy Heaton, Esq. but its present whereabouts is unknown.
The chairs were first recorded in a 1902 Country Life article on Westwood Park, Worcestershire where some are visible in the Long Gallery (reproduced here). Westwood was owned by Edward Partington (1836-1925), an industrialist who purchased the house in 1896 from Herbert Pakington, 3rd Baron Hampton (1848–1906), a descendant of the original Elizabethan owner. It is unknown if the chairs were sold with Westwood in 1896 or if they were acquired afterwards as only a 1786 inventory is known to exist. The chairs and the settees were part of the contents of Westwood that were sold at Sotheby’s, London 10 November 1950 (lots 138 and 139). They were purchased by Pelham Galleries who sold the fourteen chairs and the settees offered here to Judge Untermeyer.
The distinctive carving of acorns and oak leaves appears on two other related sets of chairs. A set of six, including two armchairs with a slightly different splat was in the collection of Mrs. Giles Whiting (H. Comstock, 'Furniture in the Collection of Mrs. Giles Whiting', The Magazine Antiques, February 1956, pp. 229-230, fig 3) and subsequently sold as George II style at Sotheby Parke-Bernet, New York, 15 April 1972, lot 371 ($1600). Another set of six chairs that included two armchairs with slightly different carving to the legs were sold from the collection of Edward C Knight, Claradon Court, Newport, at Anderson Galleries, New York, 29 January 1931, lot 467 (illustrated).