These remarkable chairs were produced in Guandgong (Canton), China, for export under European supervision; one of the pair is inscribed with Chinese characters. Chairs of distinctive English design were often produced by East Asian manufactories, the designs being delivered to Chinese workshops for construction in exotic hard woods such as padouk, rather than traditional walnut or mahogany.

The form is identical to contemporary English 'North Country' chairs, with columnar or baluster-rails supporting a serpentined cresting, whose Gothic fretting corresponds to patterns in Ince and Mayhew's The Universal System of Household Furniture, 1762 ('Voiders' pl. XV). The spindled back evolved from early-eighteenth century hall chairs, designed for functionality. The rails attached to the underside of the legs are to prevent the chair from sinking into the ground when taken outdoors, making the design ideal for garden and particularly appropriate for garden temples. A set of six Chinese export padouk chairs of this pattern were sold from the Collection of Giorgio Marsan and Umberta Nasi, Christie's, London, 13 December 2007, lot 98. A chair of this pattern is in the Library at Sherborne Castle, Dorset and may have been supplied by the Golden Square cabinet-makers Ince and Mayhew, who invoiced Henry, 1st Earl Digby for furniture in 1763. The same chair pattern, without runners, featured at Cassiobury Park and may have been supplied for the library (J. Britton, The History of Cassiobury Park, London, 1837). Another closely related pair of English mahogany chairs was sold anonymously, Christie's, London, 25 September 1997, lot 236.