Object Description
A splendid late 18th century George III period neoclassical armchair,
English, circa 1770.
Why we love it
Exquisitely carved with subtle neoclassical decor, this elegant chair is wonderfully ornamental.
This chairs’ pearl-beaded ‘sunburst’ oval back and elegant fluted legs relate to the late classical designs of Robert Adam and James Wyatt.
Fine original condition, pleasing colour.
The related 1778 design by James Wyatt with annotations by the Marquis de Marigny (d. 1781) is held by Bibliothèque Jacques Doucet, Société des Amis de la Bibliothèque d’art et d’archéologie. The brother of King Louis XV’s mistress Madame de Pompadour, the Marquis and rose to the role of Directeur des Bâtiments du Roi (Director General of the King’s Buildings). He was educated by Charles Antoine Coypel, first painter to the king, and his appreciation for the arts developed, later enabling him to influence and guide the artistic tastes of France. The Marquis had a special interest and taste for English furniture and records show in the late 1770s, Wyatt’s name was associated with an order for some 108 armchairs and sixty side chairs of a related pattern for the Marquis, who upon his retirement from the King’s service was furnishing his Paris hôtel in the English manner, see A. Gordon, ‘The Marquis de Marigny’s Purchase of English Furniture and Objects’, Furniture History, 1989, pp. 86-108.