THIRD QUARTER 18TH CENTURY

Details

A PAIR OF GEORGE III MAHOGANY SOFAS
THIRD QUARTER 18TH CENTURY
Each with a serpentine padded back, out-turned arms and seat covered in close-nailed petit point needlework, on square channelled legs joined by stretchers, one centre stretcher replaced, the associated 18th century needlework with restorations
38 in. (97 cm.) high; 55 in. (140 cm.) wide; 20 in. (51 cm.) depth of seat

Provenance

Sir Philip Sassoon, Bt., Trent Park, Hertfordshire, (recorded in the Corridor in July 1939), and by descent.
The Marquess of Cholmondley, Houghton Hall, Norfolk, sold Christie's, London, 24 November 2005, lot 40.

Literature

'Trent Park', The Antique Collector', January 1939, pp. 346 & 347 (illustrated in situ in the Inner Hall (Corridor)).
A. Moore (ed.), Houghton Hall, The Prime Minister, The Empress and The Heritage, London, 1996, p. 95, fig. 51 (shown in situ in the Common Parlour at Houghton, 1996).

Special notice

This lot will be removed to Christie’s Park Royal. Christie’s will inform you if the lot has been sent offsite. Our removal and storage of the lot is subject to the terms and conditions of storage which can be found at Christies.com/storage and our fees for storage are set out in the table below - these will apply whether the lot remains with Christie’s or is removed elsewhere. Please call Christie’s Client Service 24 hours in advance to book a collection time at Christie’s Park Royal. All collections from Christie’s Park Royal will be by pre-booked appointment only. Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060 Email: cscollectionsuk@christies.com. If the lot remains at Christie’s it will be available for collection on any working day 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. Lots are not available for collection at weekends.

Brought to you by

Peter Horwood

phorwood@christies.com +44 (0)20 7389 2359

Lot Essay

Sir Philip Sassoon (1888-1939) was one of the most remarkable Englishmen of his day. A Member of Parliament from the age of twenty-three, he also served as Private Secretary to both General Haig (1915-19) and to Lloyd George (1920-22), and as Secretary of State for Air (from 1924) and Commissioner of Works (1937). He was also Chairman of The Trustees of the National Gallery and a Trustee of the Tate Gallery and the Wallace Collection. The fortune which he inherited in his twenties from his father and Rothschild grandparents also permitted him to deploy his considerable energies as a host, aviator and patron of the arts. He completely remodelled the two houses which he had inherited, 25 Park Lane, London, and Trent Park, Hertfordshire (where this sofa is recorded in 1939) and built from scratch a third, Port Lympne, Kent, begun by Sir Herbert Baker in about 1912 and completed by Philip Tilden in 1918-21. It provided a suitable setting for the house parties that were held there and is now recognized as one of the great English country houses of the 20th century.

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