With cartouche form ribbon-tied reeded back and slip seat covered in a silk and metallic Bevilacqua velvet, circa 1800, above a cartouche carved frame, on foliate carved cabriole legs, with printed and inscribed Ann and Gordon Getty Collection inventory label
40¹⁄₂ in. (103 cm.) high, 26 in. (66 cm.) wide, 22 in. (56 cm.) deep

Acquired from Clinton Howell Antiques, New York, by Ann and Gordon Getty in 1992.

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Lot Essay

The design for this chair was published as plate LV in the pattern-book, Universal System of Household Furniture, by celebrated London cabinet-making partners William Ince (d. 1804) and John Mayhew (d. 1811). Beginning around 1759, Ince and Mayhew began serially publishing their furniture designs for subscribers, ultimately compiling them into a comprehensive folio which was published in 1762. They were directly competing with Thomas Chippendale's The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director, the third edition of which was also appearing serially around the same time. Pattern-books like these were intended for both 'the choice of the gentleman' as well as for the 'use of the workman'. In other words, they provided a selection of designs for patrons to choose from when commissioning specific pieces to be made for their residences, and they also served a source of inspiration or direct guide for cabinet-makers to use when making furniture.
The beautiful naturalistic carving of this chair, along with the use of walnut, rather than mahogany, for the primary wood and the use of elm for the seat-rails supports the strong possibility that this chair was produced in an Irish workshop. Given the wide circulation of Ince and Mayhew's designs, the maker of this chair could have been a subscriber, or perhaps fulfilling a commission for a patron who subscribed to the pattern-book.