A George III Chinese Chippendale Mahogany & Velvet Upholstered Cockpen Armchair c.1770

SOLD
Origin: English
Period: George III
Provenance: Unknown
Date: c.1770-90
Height: 39.75” or 20” at seat
Width: 25”
Depth: 18.5” (all at extremities)

The mahogany cockpen open armchair in the Chinese Chippendale style with a high pierced lattice panel back and elbow supports, having a velvet upholstered seat being ‘Oswego’ by House of Hackney, the whole on square section chamfered legs, united by stretchers and surviving from the last quarter of eighteenth century England.

The chair is in sound order with some light re-polishing having taken place, with some of the mahogany in small areas having had some light water-damage. The legs have some old repairs, with the back legs both having later restorations with a spliced repair to each and a small repair to one front leg at the top. She remains stable and ready to use with the mahogany has a good colour and the velvet is fresh.

The most widely known English cabinetmaker Thomas Chippendale (1718-1779) was a London cabinet-maker and furniture designer in the mid-Georgian, English Rococo, and Neoclassical styles. The Chippendale style is often described as being an anglicised type of Rococo, and Rococo is one of the styles Chippendale encompasses, along with Gothic and Chinese.

Chinese Chippendale creations often included cabinets and shelves for china, and typically features pagoda-style pediments and glazing bars arranged in a fretwork design. This fretwork was also used on the edges of tea tables and on the backs and legs of chairs, often coated with lacquer. The design motif comes from his interest in incorporating Chinese and other Asian designs into some of his furniture, which are now sought after antiques that are widely copied. The repetitive geometric line patterns, usually within a rectangular framework as we see here, are varied and beautiful, and complex for a cabinet-maker to execute.

A beautiful Georgian period armchair refreshed and resuscitated into the 21st century and perfect as a desk or hall chair.
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