Object Description
A beautiful and rare antique set of twelve George II Revival carved mahogany dining chairs to a Giles Grendey design by the renowned cabinet makers Robert Strahan, Dublin, Ireland, Circa 1920 in date.
The chairs have been superbly hand crafted from solid flame mahogany with beautifully shaped and carved splat backrests, raised on Chippendale style carved shaped legs terminating in ball and claw feet. The set comprises ten side chairs and a pair of armchairs all with decorative floral needlework upholstered seats. They are stamped on the seat frames R. STRAHAN, some bear paper trade labels for the cabinet maker:
R STRAHAN & CO. LTD
UPHOLSTER’S AND CABINET MAKERS
135 ST. STEPHENS GREEN, DUBLIN
This set of chairs with their distinctive shell backs are modelled after a famous set supplied by Giles Grendey for Henry Hoare at Stourhead, Wiltshire, and illustrated in R. Macquoid and R. Edwards, The Dictionary of English Furniture, 1954, vol. I, p.275, fig. 154.
The chairs are a rich mahogany colour with a striking grain and good patina.
Condition:
In really excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned, polished and waxed in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation.
Dimensions in cm:
Height 97 cm x Width 62 cm x Depth 57 cm – Armchairs
Height 95 cm x Width 51 cm x Depth 50 cm – Side chairs
Height 49 cm – Seat Height
Dimensions in inches:
Height 3 foot, 2 inches x Width 2 foot x Depth 1 foot, 10 inches – Armchairs
Height 3 feet, 1 inch x Width 1 foot, 8 inches x Depth 1 foot, 8 inches – Side chairs
Height 1 foot, 7 inches – Seat Height
Robert Strahan & Co. 1776-1969.
Dublin, Ireland, cabinet maker and upholsterer.
Robert Strahan & Co. gained the reputation for producing high quality furniture and were commissioned to design and manufacture for some of the great Irish country houses. The firm began trading in the 18th century, expanding through the 19th century and continued until 1969.
Dublin directories for 1815-44 list the firm as cabinet makers at 10 and 11 Chancery Lane; at Henry Street and 5 Leinster Street (1845-67); 24 & 25 Henry Street (1876); and the address of Abbey Street is also recorded post 1870. In 1895 Robert Strahan & Co. is listed at 24 & 25 Henry Street with factory at 12 Wentworth Place. The main address for the firm was 135 St Stephens Green, 1920-1938. Dublin directories during this period note depositories at The Dublin Pantechnicon, 12 Hogan Place.
Probate for Robert Strahan, upholsterer of Henry Street, was granted in 1850. It was probably his son, also Robert, who described as a cabinet maker aged 38, travelled from Liverpool to New York in 1850, and died in 1895. Robert I’s grandson, Robert W. (b. 1863- d. 1939) & his wife, Ruth, lived in Rathmines, Dublin and he was recorded as a master cabinet maker and house furnisher in 1901 & 1911 census respectively. The probate value of his estate was just over £6,070 and probate was granted in 1939 to his daughter, Clara May.
Strahan participated in various major exhibitions of the 1850s and 1860s; the catalogues refer to the firm as ‘Designers and Manufacturers’.
Our reference: A4093