A set of twelve George III painted armchairs (446829) (c. 1795 England)

58.50 cm wide   90.00 cm high   53.00 cm deep

23.03 inches wide  35.43 inches high  20.87 inches deep

A rare set of twelve late 18th century painted open armchairs, the cream-painted frames with blue and coral decoration, the arched cresting flanked by turned finials with the backs and seats upholstered, the padded arms terminating in balusters supports, on ring turned circular tapering legs.

The French influence on English chair-makers is clearly shown in this unusually long set of twelve chairs . The manner in which the upholstered backs are framed and separated from the seats with their arched cresting and finials is a more restrained reference to the type of Louis XVI salon chairs made by the great French chairmakers such as Georges Jacob (1739-1814). These chairs were originally upholstered in the French manner in formal floral needlework panels which contrasted with the colourfully painted beach chair frames.

It seems likely that this set was originally intended for a saloon or music room, where they would have been placed formally around the sides of the room and brought forward as required. The contemporary engravings of George Hepplewhite (d. 1786) clearly illustrate this fashionable interior arrangement, with similar chairs shown in Plate 61, 'A Plan Section of a Drawing Room', of his Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Guide of 1788.

Price: £50,000 +

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FOR SALE