Property from the Collection of Mr. Peter Newton, San Francisco and St. Helena, California
Lot 1015
A fine pair of George III mahogany library chairs
probably William Linnell
third quarter 18th century
probably William Linnell
third quarter 18th century
17 March 2014, 10:00 PDT
San FranciscoSold for US$47,500 inc. premium
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A fine pair of George III mahogany library chairs
probably William Linnell
third quarter 18th century
probably William Linnell
third quarter 18th century
Each with rectangular upholstered back over out scrolled padded arms raised on acanthus carved stiles above a shaped seat raised on bamboo cluster form supports, the back with splayed turned and block supports joined by turned stretchers divided by blocks, one chair bearing the remains of a paper label on the inside rail "EARL COWLEY" .
height 38in (96cm); width 29in (73cm); depth 24in (61cm)
height 38in (96cm); width 29in (73cm); depth 24in (61cm)
Footnotes
Provenance:
Christie's London, July 1, 2004, lot 117
The history of these chairs were reported in the above catalog as follows:
Believed to have been supplied to Sir James Tylney-Long (d 1794) for Draycot Cerne, Wiltshire, and by descent to his daughter Catherine (d.1825) who married in 1812 William Wellesley-Pole, 4th Earl of Mornington (d. 1857) and by descent to their son William 5th Earl of Mornington (d.1863) from whom inherited with the house by his cousin Henry, 1st Earl of Cowley (d. 1884) and by descent to Christian, 4th Earl Cowley (d. 1962), Draycot House, sold Duncan B. Gray & Partners house sale, March 8-16 1920, one of lots 1378-81.
William Linnell
William Linnell (c.1703-63) moved to London in 1717 to take up an apprenticeship with the Joiners Co. He went on to finish his apprenticeship in 1724 under John Townshend. In 1730 Linnell opened his own carving workshop. Although his early work focused primarily on architectural elements, by the mid-18th century he had expanded his repertoire to include cabinet making. In 1750 the records indicate that he employed 40 to 50 people including his talented son John Linnell. Together the Linnell's worked on some of Britain's most stately homes including Badminton House, where many of the pieces from the commissioned Chinoiserie bedroom suite are now housed at the V&A Museum. Other commissions included Oysterley Park, The Foundling Hospital, Woburn Abbey and Kedleston Hall. After William's death in 1763, John continued to build on the firm's reputation and became a renowned cabinetmaker in his own right often collaborating with the acclaimed Neoclassical architect Robert Adam.
Notes
An almost identical pair of side chairs attributed to William Linnell sold at Christie's, New York, April 16, 1994, lot 156. They are referenced as being part of a larger suite of furniture shown in a photograph (Country Life July 11, 1903 p. 54) of the Chapel Rooms at Bramshill, Hampshire. Sir Monoux Cope, 7th Baronet of Bramshill was a client on record of William Linnell.
Recently, a similar pair of armchairs was sold at Christie's New York, November 29-30, 2012 lot 333.