ATTRIBUTED TO INCE & MAYHEW, CIRCA 1770, THE DESIGN POSSIBLY BY JAMES WYATT

The armchairs relate to a design for an interior by James Wyatt showing the relationship of the furniture and upholstery to the architecture, illustrated in J. Fowler and J.Cornforth, English Decoration in the 18th Century, London, 1986, p. 29, fig. 13 and chairs of the same design, probably originally a set of twelve, were supplied by the London partnership of Ince and Mayhew to James Alexander, 1st Earl of Caledon, for the Oval Drawing Room at Caledon House, Ireland (illustrated, Hugh Roberts, ‘Unequil d’Elegance’: Mayhew and Ince’s Furniture for James Alexander, 1st Earl of Caledon’, Furniture History, vol. XLV, 2009, p. 105, fig. 2).
A pair of chairs of this design was sold by Mrs. Daphne L. Conner, Christie's, London, 18 July 1963, lot 57, and another pair was in the collection of Robert and Elsie Tritton, Godmersham Park, Kent, sold Christie's house sale, 6-9 June 1983, lot 125 (£7200 including premium). Another pair was sold from the collection of the late Sir Philip Shelburne, Myles Place, Salisbury, sold Christie's house sale, 25-26 October 1993, lot 99 (£9775 including premium).