Research:
Of mahogany (two chairs of elm). The rectangular open backs set with a series of shaped pierced splats. The curved downswept open armrests with scrolled handholds above an upholstered seat. Raised on four square legs, the rear pair raked, all joined by an H-shaped stretcher. Some repairs and replacements in line with age and use.
Provenance:
With the same old aristocratic family since the 18th century.
The ladder back chair, which first appeared during the Restoration period in England, was revived in the middle of the eighteenth century. The model was “a common design in country furniture and usually made of British indigenous woods such as ash, elm or beech. [However, it] was refined in London, as in this case, with the use of mahogany,” and made fashionable by the leading cabinetmakers of the time, including Grendey, Chippendale, Hepplewhite and Gillows.
The present chairs are particularly notable in that each of the four ‘bars’ forming the ladder back is of subtly, but noticeably, differentiated design. This interesting feature imparts energy and rhythm to their appearance and would have been a costly and technically challenging variant on an otherwise traditional design.
Full research report available on request.