A SET OF SIX GEORGE III GILTWOOD SIDE CHAIRS BY THOMAS CHIPPENDALE, CIRCA 1773 Each oval back with guilloche moulding above the stuffed seat, the frieze decorated with paterae and bell flowers, re-gilt, on reeded tapering legs, the back with exposed vertical strut, the seat rails with cramp cuts and batten carrying-holes, three chairs with screw holes in the seat rails each 91cm high, 56cm wide, 54cm deep overallProvenance: Supplied to Sir Penistone Lamb, 1st Viscount Melbourne (1748 - 1819) for the Saloon of Brocket Hall, Hertfordshire, circa 1773, and by descent to; Admiral of the Fleet, Lord Walter Talbot, Kerr, GCB, Brocket Hall, Hertfordshire sold; Messrs. Foster House Sale, 9th March 1923, Lot 362; Acquired at that same by Sir Charles Nall-Cain, Bt., 1st Lord Brocket (d. 1934), and by descent at Brocket Hall until sold; Private Collection, England; with Partridge Fine Arts, one pair sold to Lord Weinstock, Bowden Park, Chippenham Wiltshire but later reunited to form the set of six. Literature: H. Avray Tipping, Country Life, vol. LVIII, 8 July 1925, p. 96 H. Avray Tipping, English Homes, Period VI, vol. I, London, 1926, pp. 19-21, figs. 30-31 and 33 C. Gilbert, The Life and Work of Thomas Chippendale, London, 1978, vol. I, p. 263 and vol. II, p. 11, fig. 21 and p. 109, fig. 186 C. Gilbert, 'Chippendale's Brocket Hall Saloon Suite', Christie's International Magazine, June- July 1994, pp. 46-49. Thomas Chippendale's commission for Viscount Melbourne at Brocket Hall was delivered in a concentrated period from about 1772 until 1775, alongside furniture made for Melbourne House, Piccadilly (now Albany), which Melbourne bought from Lord Holland in 1771. And while both commissions were not as large or as lengthy as those for his major Yorkshire patrons, the seat furniture he made for the Drawing Room at Brocket originally comprised twelve armchairs, twelve side chairs and four settees, which is the largest salon suite Chippendale provided for any client. One pair (of four) candle stands also made for the Drawing Room at Brocket by Chippendale, formerly in the Gerstenfeld Collection, Washington DC, were acquired in 2018 by The Cleveland Museum of Art (2018.203). Brocket Hall Sir Matthew Lamb, 1st Baronet, purchased the estate in 1746 and built the hall as it is seen today in around 1760 to the designs of the architect Sir James Paine. The interiors of the house are mostly on a modest country house scale with the exceptions of the main staircase and the Grand Saloon, for which the present chairs were commissioned. These rooms were decorated specifically for entertaining royalty. The walls are lined with silk, the original furniture was made by Chippendale, and the ceiling was painted by Francis Wheatley. The cost of this one room alone is recorded as ï¿¡1,500 which equated to more than the cost of a substantial mansion at the time. The Hall took fifteen years to compete, by which time Sir Matthew had died and his son Peniston Lamb inherited Brocket Hall at the age of 21. Sir Peniston was raised to the peerage, as 1st Viscount Melbourne in 1781 allegedly on account of his wife's social and political capabilities as mistress of the Prince Regent, the future King George IV. Upon the death of 1st Lord Melbourne, his son William inherited and succeeded to the title, becoming the 2nd Viscount Melbourne. William was a political powerhouse of the time and held the position of Prime Minister twice throughout his lifetime. In 1837, it was Lord Melbourne who broke the news to a young Victoria that she was to become Queen. She often visited Brocket Hall owing to their close friendship and until her marriage to Prince Albert, weekly bunches of flowers were sent from the Estate to the Palace. On Melbourne's death, the house passed to his sister, Emily, whose second husband was another Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston. It was in turn inherited by Emily's grandson by her first marriage, Francis Cowper, 7th Earl Cowper, though it was his younger brother, Henry (d.1887), who lived at Brocket Hall. In 1893, Lord Mount Stephen, leased Brocket Hall from the 7th Earl for the remainder of his lifetime. Lord Stephen was President of the Bank of Montreal and the first Canadian to be elevated to the Peerage of the United Kingdom. For the next three years guests included the Queen's children: the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Connaught and the Princess Mary, Duchess of Teck. After the death of the 7th Earl Cowper (1905), the underlying future reversion was left to his niece, but she died only a year after him (1906) and the estate passed to her husband, Admiral Lord Walter Kerr, who lived at Melbourne Hall. When Lord Mount Stephen died in 1921, Kerr put the estate up for sale and in 1923 it was purchased by Sir Charles Nall-Cain who owned and ran the brewing company Walker Cain Ltd, later Allied Breweries. He was raised to the peerage in 1923 for his contribution to the national war effort and economy. Condition Report: Overall there are some scratches, marks, knocks, cracks and abrasions consistent with age and use.The chairs are regilded and have some rubbing and chips revealing some underlying wood/gesso/red bole.There is some evidence of old worm to some seat rails.The chairs are labelled A-F, chairs A, B and D have no screw holes to the rails.The woven silk upholstery shows few signs of use.Please see the additional condition report photographs through the link on the condition report email as a visual reference of condition. Condition Report Disclaimer
