ATTRIBUTED TO THOMAS CHIPPENDALE JUNIOR, CIRCA 1785

The condition of lots can vary widely and the nature of the lots sold means that they are unlikely to be in a perfect condition. Lots are sold in the condition they are in at the time of sale.

In good country house condition.
With the inevitable chips, marks, and wear consistent with age and use.
The upholstery with signs of aging, would benefit from a light clean.
The fringing detached in some places but easily refixed.
The painted and gilt decoration with chips in some areas revealing the gesso and small areas of timber beneath.
A repaired break to the back left leg.
A spliced repaired break to the back right leg.
As stated in the cataloguing, the legs reduced in height and the castors are later.
As stated in the cataloguing, the sofa has been redecorated with traces of the original green decoration visible beneath.
Chalk marking to the right side of back rail 'YG-368'.
Structurally sound and ready to place.

DECORATION
No evidence of original gilding was found, only white oil paint, applied over a gesso ground. The sofa was quite thoroughly cleaned down at some point in the nineteenth-century, and early layers were missing in some of the samples, particularly those taken from the back rail. Therefore it remains a possibility that original gold was lost.
However, the samples taken from the rosette at the top of the leg and the leaves at the base of the leg showed that these features were certainly originally painted white over a gesso ground. Had gilding been involved one would normally expect gold to have been used on the rosette.
The white was mixed with a few tiny particles of charcoal black and will have had a slightly greyish tone. A second scheme of pale green similar to greens used on other items in the house in the 19th century was applied. This was based on a mix of Prussian blue and yellows
In the third phase, the sofa was sanded down, and so early layers are now missing in some areas, the sofa was then painted Green once more. In the fourth scheme, a third lot of green was used and still based on lead white and must therefore have been applied before the middle of the 20^th century.
The final scheme which we see today is white and gold. The white paint used is based on lithopone white, so this work was carried out at some point in the middle of the 20^th century. ‘Gold’ paint has since been applied to all gilded surfaces.