A PAIR OF REGENCY MAHOGANY TUB BERGERES

This form of bergere was named a 'curricle', after the Roman magistrate or consul's seat, by Thomas Sheraton in The Cabinet Dictionary, London, 1803. The name was adopted by Gillows of London and Lancaster, who supplied five chairs of this model between 1811 and 1812 to Wilbraham Egerton for Tatton Park, Cheshire, at a cost of 5 pounds each and intended for bedrooms and dressing-rooms (N. Goodison and J. Hardy, 'Gillows at Tatton Park', Furniture History, 1970, pl. 16A and S. Bourne, 'Gillow Chairs and Fashion', Exhibition Catalogue, Blackburn, 1991, pp. 32-33.

A related pair of bergeres was sold anonymously, Sotheby's New York, 22 January 1999, lot 209 ($20,700), and a further similar pair was sold anonymously Christie's London, 17 April 1997, lot 142 (£14,375).