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Lot Essay
These chairs bear all the confidence of line and carving that are the hallmarks of Chippendale's seat furniture. Moreover, the constructional use of cramp cuts and batten carrying-holes, seen on many pieces of documented furniture supplied by Thomas Chippendale, reinforces the attribution of these chairs to Chippendale's workshop. Chippendale supplied four chairs with very closely-related legs for the Couch Room at Harewood House circa 1770 (C. Gilbert, The Life and Work of Thomas Chippendale, 1978, vol. II, fig. 182) as well an unprovenanced suite (Ibid, fig. 183.) Richly carved legs with shells and anthemia first appeared on the iconic suite of seat furniture Chippendale made for the architect Robert Adam’s commission for Lord Dundas at no. 19 Arlington Street (Ibid, fig. 176) and they became a favorite Chippendale motif that was refined over the course of his career. It continued with Thomas Chippendale Junior (d. 1822) and was featured in his 1779 Sketches of Ornament.
This pair of chairs was originally from a larger suite at Luttrellstown comprising a set of twelve chairs and a settee which were all sold in the same lot. The romantic Gothic castle at Luttrellstown is one of the finest demesnes in Ireland. The house and estate was bought by Ernest Guinness for his daughter, The Hon. Mrs Aileen Plunket. From the 1950s, she and the incredibly talented decorator Felix Harbord transformed its interiors and bought many pieces from notable Country House sales.
This pair of chairs was originally from a larger suite at Luttrellstown comprising a set of twelve chairs and a settee which were all sold in the same lot. The romantic Gothic castle at Luttrellstown is one of the finest demesnes in Ireland. The house and estate was bought by Ernest Guinness for his daughter, The Hon. Mrs Aileen Plunket. From the 1950s, she and the incredibly talented decorator Felix Harbord transformed its interiors and bought many pieces from notable Country House sales.