Untitled
possibly Chippendale & Rannie (fl. 1754 - 1766)
Category
Furniture
Date
circa 1766
Materials
Mahogany, walnut, chestnut, calico, gingham, webbing
Place of origin
St. Martin's Lane
Order this imageCollection
Nostell Priory, West Yorkshire
NT 959704
Summary
A near set of twenty-one mahogany and walnut upholstered chairs or backstools, English, circa 1766, possibly made by Chippendale & Rannie (fl. 1754 - 1776) or Thomas Chippendale (fl. without a business partner 1766 - 1771). Possibly related to a near set of five upholstered armchairs [NT 959769. 1- .3 and NT 959792.1 - .2], sofas NT 959772 and NT 959773, which share the same angled rear stretcher and a pair of mahogany stools [NT 959767.1 and NT 959767.1]. Each having a rectangular back, and padded seat, upholstered in later white calico, and with a modern green and white checked gingham cover. Raised on square-section legs joined by side stretchers. The high rear stretcher is set slightly at an angle, since it joins the rear legs where the feet kick out. Not a true set, since some have a groove moulding running down the outer corner of the front legs, whilst some do not. Some with a chamfer on the inside corner of the legs, and some without. Some with elm rails, and some with ash. --
Full description
This set of twenty-one chairs, and the associated armchairs and stools, have been tentatively linked to the purchase of two separate sets of ten chairs and two pairs of matching armchairs for the Winns' London residence in St James's Square, for which Sir Rowland Winn was invoiced in 1766. ‘10 Mahogany Parlour Chairs the seats stuff’d and Cover’d with Haircloth & Double Brass nail’d’ together with ‘2 Mahogany French Armchairs to Match’ were invoiced against the date 24th March. Another set was ordered and on 9th October 1766 entries reading ‘10 Mahogany Parlour Chairs same sort as before’ and ‘2 French Armchairs to Match ditto’, appear in accounts. The surviving accounts contain no other entries which correspond to such a large set of chairs, and it has been noted that 'there is a reasonable possibility that a large remnant of this set remains in the collection.' However, this attribution is problematic because at least seven of this set of chairs are made of walnut, not mahogany. In addition, the chairs do not all exactly match each other; some of them have a decorative groove on the outer corner of their front legs, whilst others do not.
Provenance
Possibly supplied by Thomas Chippendale (1718 - 1779) in 1766, thence by descent until accepted by HM Treasury in lieu of death duties on the estate of Rowland Winn, 4th Baron Oswald (1916 - 1984), 1986.
Makers and roles
possibly Chippendale & Rannie (fl. 1754 - 1766), cabinetmaker possibly Thomas Chippendale (fl. 1766 - 1771 when operating without a business partner), cabinetmaker
References
Boynton and Goodison, 1968: Lindsay Boynton, and Nicholas Goodison. “Thomas Chippendale at Nostell Priory.” Furniture History 4 (1968): pp.10-61., p. 40 Boynton and Goodison, 1969: Lindsay Boynton and Nicholas Goodison. “The furniture of Thomas Chippendale at Nostell Priory.” Burlington Magazine III June 1969: pp.350-60., p. 359 Gilbert (1978): Christopher Gilbert, The Life & Work of Thomas Chippendale (1978), 2 volumes., Vol. I, pp. 174, 183 - 4 and Vol. II, Figures 133 & 134 Coleridge, 1968: Anthony Coleridge, Chippendale furniture: the work of Thomas Chippendale and his Contemporaries in the Rococo Taste. London: Faber, 1968., Plate 345