Sofa
possibly Chippendale & Rannie (fl. 1754 - 1766)
Category
Furniture
Date
circa 1765 - circa 1770
Materials
Mahogany, beech, cotton
Measurements
102 x 136 x 83 cm
Place of origin
St. Martin's Lane
Order this imageCollection
Nostell Priory, West Yorkshire
NT 959772
Summary
A mahogany-framed sofa, English, circa 1765 - 1770, one of a pair with NT 959773, possibly by either Chippendale & Rannie (fl. 1754 - 1766) or Thomas Chippendale (fl. 1766 - 1771 when working without a business partner). With a rectangular padded back and a seat with loose cushion between scroll-over arms. Raised on four square-section legs; the rear legs with a pronounced kick at the feet. The front stretcher flush with the face of the front legs; the side stretchers at a lower level; the rear stretcher flush with the rear face of the rear legs and angled, since it joins the legs where the feet start to rake. Upholstered in floral printed cotton in the late 1980s, the fabric supplied by Bennison Fabrics Limited of London.
Full description
The simple design of the legs of this sofa, and the way in which it has been constructed, make it comparable to a near set of twenty-one mahogany and walnut chairs at Nostell Priory [NT 959704.1 - .16 the side chairs, and NT 959769.1 - .3 and NT 959792.1 - .2, five armchairs] possibly supplied by Thomas Chippendale (1718 - 1779) to Nostell Priory in 1766. Possibly the mahogany sofa listed in the 1806 and 1818 inventories in the Crimson Room or the Little Dining Room. (Megan Wheeler, February 2018)
Provenance
Probably purchased by Sir Rowland Winn, 5th Baronet (1739 - 1785) 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
possibly Chippendale & Rannie (fl. 1754 - 1766), cabinetmaker possibly Thomas Chippendale (fl. 1766 - 1771 when operating without a business partner), cabinetmaker