Dining chair
Banting, France and Co.
Category
Furniture
Date
circa 1830
Materials
Mahogany, beech frame, leather
Place of origin
St James's Street
Order this imageCollection
Ickworth, Suffolk
NT 850268
Summary
A set of twelve mahogany dining chairs, by Banting France & Co. London circa 1830 The bowed moulded top rail with leaf carved edges above a red leather upholstered back panel within a moulded frame with scroll carved decoration. The overstuffed leather upholstered seat with further moulded edge and lappet carved turned tapered legs headed by corner fan paterae.
Full description
Banting and France & Co., 27 St.James' Street, London (1813-40) The furniture in the main entertaining rooms at Ickworth was almost exclusively supplied by the firm of Thomas Banting and William France. The invoices for this outstanding group of furnishings are in the Hervey papers (See Suffolk County Records office, Bury St. Edmunds: 941.81/17 and 941/81/11). Banting and France were Royal cabinetmakers and held Royal Warrants in the reigns of George III, George IV, William IV and Queen Victoria. The Hervey family of Ickworth also maintained property in London at 6 St James's Square, as well as Bristol House in Putney and a house at No.19 Sussex Square, Brighton to which Banting and France were to also supply furnishings. Most of the contents of the Brighton property was moved to Ickworth in 1936. Banting and France assisted with the organisation of the sale of furniture by auction at St James' Square in 1814, although the Hervey family kept and refurnished the property, moving the later contents to Ickworth in 1950. Ickworth and its contents passed to the National Trust in lieu of death duties in 1956 although the family leased back the East Wing and continued to live there until it was sold by the 7th Marquis of Bristol (1954-1999) who sold the lease to the National Trust in 1996. See: G Beard & C Gilbert, 'Dictionary of English Furniture Makers 1660–1840' 1986 – Furniture History Society Geoffrey Castle, 'The France Family of Upholsterers and Cabinet-Makers' – Furniture History Society Journal Vol XLI pp 25–43, Published 2005 Robert Huish, 'Memoirs of her Late Highness Charlotte Augusta, Princess of Wales – London: Thomas Kelly Geoffrey de Bellaigue & Pat Kirkham, 'George IV and the Furnishing of Windsor Castle' – Furniture History Society 8 (1972) Ralph Edwards & Margaret Jourdain, 'Georgian Cabinet Makers' 1944, 1946; revised 1951 (3rd edition 1955) (James Weedon 2017)
Provenance
Part of the Bristol Collection. Acquired by the National Trust in 1956 under the auspices of the National Land Fund, later the National Heritage Memorial Fund. The family leased back the East Wing and continued to live there until it was sold by the 7th Marquis of Bristol (1954-1999) who sold the lease to the National Trust in 1996. The Hervey family maintained property in London at 6 St James's Square, as well as Bristol House in Putney and a house at No.19 Sussex Square, Brighton to which Banting and France supplied furnishings. Most of the contents of the Brighton property was moved to Ickworth in 1936. Banting and France assisted with the organisation of the sale of furniture by auction at St James' Square in 1814, although the Hervey family kept and refurnished the property, moving the later contents to Ickworth in 1950. It is unclear in most cases which items were made specifically for Ickworth and which came from the other Hervey properties.
Makers and roles
Banting, France and Co., furniture designer and maker
References
Beard and Gilbert, 1986: Geoffrey Beard and Christopher Gilbert (ed), Dictionary of English Furniture Makers 1660-1840, 1986, pg37 Castle, Geoffrey - 'The France Family of Upholsterers and Cabinet-Makers' – Furniture History Society Journal Vol XLI Published 2005, pp 25–43, De Bellaigue, G. & Kirkham, P. - 'George IV and the Furnishing of Windsor Castle' – Furniture History Society 8 (1972)