.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
These chairs were designed to be en suite with a pair of George II mahogany open armchairs supplied to Sir William Beauchamp-Proctor, 1st Bt. (b.1722), after he inherited the newly built Langley Park in 1744-45. The chairs are designed in a manner evolved from the 17th Century 'back-stool' of sgabello form with X-trestle supports, such as those supplied for the banqueting hall at Ham House, Surrey, by the eminent King Street cabinet-maker George Nix (d.1751), who was working there between 1729-34 (see: P. Thornton, 'Ham House', Furniture History, 1980, fig. 152). The seat-rail and serpentined back with scalloped or hollowed cresting are banded by a French-style flowered ribbon-twist guilloche moulding en suite with pier tables, which appear to be from the same room. A suite of chairs and sofa with corresponding voluted arms, gadroon-edged back seat-rail and acanthus-enriched X-trestle supports, were commissioned for Ham House in the 1740s and may also have been supplied by Nix.
The general form of the back features on a chair in the 1740s trade-card of Landall and Gordon and, with the voluted arm, corresponds to an armchair of the period that is attributed to John Channon (d. circa 1783; see: C. Gilbert, John Channon, London, 1993, figs. 173 and 12).
The aggrandisement of Langley in the 1740s was carried out for George Proctor (d.1744) under the direction of the architect Matthew Brettingham (d.1769), who at that time was erecting Holkham Hall, Norfolk, largely to the designs of William Kent (d.1748), and for which Nix also supplied furniture (Thornton, op. cit., p. 649).
Furniture from Langley Park was sold by Sir Christopher Proctor-Beauchamp, Bt., Christie's, London, 6 July 1995, lots 100-103, which comprised the chairs mentioned above, plus two additional pairs of armchairs from the Dining Room made en suite with the present lot, and an impressive pair of Mid-Georgian side tables.
Addendum to the catalogue note
The chairs formed part of a set of fourteen chairs for the large dining room at Langley Park. Of these 8 were made in the mid 18th century (George II) as part of the house's original furniture. According to the furniture historian Oliver Brackett:
'In the case of houses which there is every reason to believe were furnished by Chippendale in his early and Director Style, special reference must be made to Langley Park, Norfolk. Langley Park, a house of great interest though little known to the public was built in 1740. It is confidently asserted that Chippendale's bills foe furnishing this house exist and have been seen within recent years, although for the moment they cannot be found. The character of the furniture agrees in every respect with the tradition of Chippendale's workmanship (see Plates), and is of particular interest in illustrating work both in the Pre-Director and Director Styles.'
(Oliver Brackett, Thomas Chippendale ]1924], p.52)
The double settee which formed part of the suite was illustrated (Plate XII) along with 7 other items of furniture from Langley Park, including the side tables sold by Christie's, 6 July 1995, lot 100, (410,000), and a pair of gilt carved wood brackets now in the Victoria & Albert Museum.
A further 6 identical chairs were made for the dining room and the evidence of their date points to the 19th century, circa 1860-80. Lot 200 is probably a pair from these. Some of the chairs and the double settee are seen illustrated in photographs of the dining-room at Langley Park from Country Life of the 2nd July 1927, and one is illustrated individually in the first of two articles from Country Life by Oliver Brackett in on the furniture at Langley Park dated 15 March 1927. In that article he comments:
'The settee and chair (Figs 4 and 6) with X-shaped supports are interesting examples of a rare type of furniture belonging to about the same period [1740-50]'.
The chairs were also featured in Macquoid and Edwards, The Dictionary of English Furniture (rev.ed.), and illustrated in Vol. I, p.273, fig.46.
The position remains that there is no direct evidence of any Chippendale connection for the furniture at Langley Park, but it is both interesting and understandable that earlier suggestions of furniture historians had selected the original furniture from Langley Park as one of the possibilities.
The general form of the back features on a chair in the 1740s trade-card of Landall and Gordon and, with the voluted arm, corresponds to an armchair of the period that is attributed to John Channon (d. circa 1783; see: C. Gilbert, John Channon, London, 1993, figs. 173 and 12).
The aggrandisement of Langley in the 1740s was carried out for George Proctor (d.1744) under the direction of the architect Matthew Brettingham (d.1769), who at that time was erecting Holkham Hall, Norfolk, largely to the designs of William Kent (d.1748), and for which Nix also supplied furniture (Thornton, op. cit., p. 649).
Furniture from Langley Park was sold by Sir Christopher Proctor-Beauchamp, Bt., Christie's, London, 6 July 1995, lots 100-103, which comprised the chairs mentioned above, plus two additional pairs of armchairs from the Dining Room made en suite with the present lot, and an impressive pair of Mid-Georgian side tables.
Addendum to the catalogue note
The chairs formed part of a set of fourteen chairs for the large dining room at Langley Park. Of these 8 were made in the mid 18th century (George II) as part of the house's original furniture. According to the furniture historian Oliver Brackett:
'In the case of houses which there is every reason to believe were furnished by Chippendale in his early and Director Style, special reference must be made to Langley Park, Norfolk. Langley Park, a house of great interest though little known to the public was built in 1740. It is confidently asserted that Chippendale's bills foe furnishing this house exist and have been seen within recent years, although for the moment they cannot be found. The character of the furniture agrees in every respect with the tradition of Chippendale's workmanship (see Plates), and is of particular interest in illustrating work both in the Pre-Director and Director Styles.'
(Oliver Brackett, Thomas Chippendale ]1924], p.52)
The double settee which formed part of the suite was illustrated (Plate XII) along with 7 other items of furniture from Langley Park, including the side tables sold by Christie's, 6 July 1995, lot 100, (410,000), and a pair of gilt carved wood brackets now in the Victoria & Albert Museum.
A further 6 identical chairs were made for the dining room and the evidence of their date points to the 19th century, circa 1860-80. Lot 200 is probably a pair from these. Some of the chairs and the double settee are seen illustrated in photographs of the dining-room at Langley Park from Country Life of the 2nd July 1927, and one is illustrated individually in the first of two articles from Country Life by Oliver Brackett in on the furniture at Langley Park dated 15 March 1927. In that article he comments:
'The settee and chair (Figs 4 and 6) with X-shaped supports are interesting examples of a rare type of furniture belonging to about the same period [1740-50]'.
The chairs were also featured in Macquoid and Edwards, The Dictionary of English Furniture (rev.ed.), and illustrated in Vol. I, p.273, fig.46.
The position remains that there is no direct evidence of any Chippendale connection for the furniture at Langley Park, but it is both interesting and understandable that earlier suggestions of furniture historians had selected the original furniture from Langley Park as one of the possibilities.