The Nostell Priory Saloon Sofas - circa 1778
attributed to Chippendale, Haig & Co. (fl. 1771 - 1779)
Category
Furniture
Date
circa 1778
Materials
Carved limewood and beech, gesso, gold leaf, white paint, textile
Measurements
99 x 223 x 88 cm
Place of origin
St. Martin's Lane
Order this imageCollection
Nostell Priory, West Yorkshire
NT 959736.10
Summary
A sofa, one of a set of ten pieces of white-painted and parcel-gilt seat furniture, English, probably after a design by Robert Adam (1728 - 1792) and attributed to Chippendale, Haig & Co. (fl. 1771 - 1779) or Haig & Chippendale (fl. 1779 - 1796), probably made for the Saloon at Nostell Priory, circa 1778. Comprising eight open armchairs [NT 959736.1 - 8] and two sofas [NT 959736.9 & 10]. All with later upholstery, in floral lace and ribbon patterened silk brocade in cream, pink, blue to match other seat furniture in the Saloon and all originally all-over gilt. The sofas each with a triple-arched entrelac-carved toprail with ribbon cresting and a serpentine-fronted upholstered seat between padded arms on moulded and anthemion-carved in-curved arm supports. The seat rails beaded and raised on eight turned and tapering fluted legs. The legs of the sofas cut down slightly as they were later fitted with castors, now removed.
Full description
Attributed to Chippendale's firm on the basis that these chairs 'conform exactly to one of the firm's standard designs', and the discovery of new letters in 1990 which illuminate the 'long drawn-out final phase' of Chippendale's commission at Nostell between 1774 and 1785 (when work was undertaken on the Saloon, Drawing Room and probably the Top Hall) which hitherto had 'only been sketchily documented', and which refers to eight chairs and two matching sofas intended for the Saloon. The newly discovered letters show that Chippendale was at Nostell in 1774 measuring the Drawing Room and the Saloon. In June of that year he wrote to Sir Rowland Winn, 'I have sent...a small case contain'g a section of the Saloon with designs of the furniture which has been settled by Mr Adams and myself & he totally approves everything therein sketched', a passage which reveals Chippendale's and Adam's collaboration. The same letter mentions that, in their opinion 'the Chairs & Sofas should be covered with silk Damask...' Furniture - including '8 Very neat open back Chairs to be Japann'd & Seats covered with Green Taberay...2 Large Sofas to match' - listed in a letter of 30 June 1781 from Chippendale's firm to Winn, was mostly completed by 1778/9, but Sir Rowland either lost interest or found himself unable to pay for items which together (including items for the Drawing Room) cost £570. He was already in debt to Chippendale's firm, and so the furniture remained in London. It was still there when Sir Rowland died in 1785 although, if this is the set of seat furniture alluded to in the firm's correspondence with Sir Rowland's executors, then this, at least, made it to Nostell. (Entry adapted by Megan Wheeler, March 2018)
Provenance
Probably purchased by Sir Rowland Winn, 5th Baronet and 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
attributed to Chippendale, Haig & Co. (fl. 1771 - 1779), cabinetmaker attributed to Haig & Chippendale (fl. 1779 - 1796), cabinetmaker attributed to Robert Adam (Kirkcaldy 1728 - London 1792), designer
References
Gilbert (1978): Christopher Gilbert, The Life & Work of Thomas Chippendale (1978), 2 volumes., Vol. I, pp. 173 & 193, and Vol. II, Figure 184 (the armchairs) & Figure 361 (the sofas) Gilbert, 1990: Christopher Gilbert. “New light on the furnishing of Nostell Priory.” Furniture History 26 (1990): 53 - 66, pp. 58 - 61