BY THOMAS CHIPPENDALE, CIRCA 1770-1772

These rare and important ‘conversation stools’, en suite with the two lots 12 and 13 - a set of four armchairs and a sofa – were supplied by Thomas Chippendale between circa 1770 and 1772 to Edwin Lascelles, 1st Baron Harewood (1712-95) for Harewood House. Originally painted blue and parcel-gilt, the stools almost certainly belong to the suite recorded in Lady Harewood’s Dressing Room which describes a ‘sopha, 2 Conversasion [sic] Stools & 3 Chairs Blue & Gold covered with blue Damask’.¹
Chippendale supplied several other suites of painted or giltwood seat furniture which included window stools or conversation stools and remain at Harewood. Two green painted and parcel-gilt conversation stools were ordered for the Chintz Bedroom,² three green painted and parcel-gilt window stools were ordered for the Music Room³ two blue painted and parcel-gilt conversation stools were ordered for the Saloon⁴ and two giltwood conversation stools were ordered for the State Bedroom.⁵
Please see footnote to lot 12 for further discussion of the suite and Thomas Chippendale’s commission at Harewood House.

EXTENSION AND DECORATION
Interestingly, the present stools have been extended in length by approximately 6 inches apparently around the time of manufacture. The extensions are made in limewood which displays identical oxidization to the adjacent limewood rails. The chronology of upholstery nailing to the rails is the same on the extensions, as are the traces of original blue paint and parcel gilding. Further, treatment of the carving of husks is indistinguishable suggesting that these elements were carved bin the workshop by the same hand. Finally, the extensions are secured with contemporary hand-cut steel screws.
Paint analysis across this suite (lots 12-14), including the present stools, revealed it was originally decorated in blue and parcel-gilt. A ground of white gesso was applied to the wood, followed by water gilding on some mouldings, using a reddish brown clay. The blue paint, mixed from lead white and Prussian blue, was applied last.
For the second scheme of decoration, fresh gesso was applied to the gilded areas, followed by water gilding over a grey clay. It is not clear if the original blue remained visible. No evidence of fresh blue paint was found.
For the third scheme, patches of green were applied as seen today. Unlike the four armchairs (lot 12) and the sofa (lot 13), which were being painted green before the middle of the twentieth century. These windows seats remained blue until after the Second World War. The paint used for the green contains titanium dioxide white, a pigment first widely used for paints after circa 1950.

[1] Harewood House 1795 Inventory, p. 20.
[2] Harewood House 1795 Inventory, p. 49 and one illustrated in the Yellow Drawing Room, J. Sellars [Ed.], The Art of Thomas Chippendale Master Furniture Maker, 2000, Leeds, p. 6.
[3] Harewood House 1795 Inventory, p. 25 and illustrated Gilbert, op. cit., vol. II p. 216, fig. 393.
[4] Harewood House 1795 Inventory, p. 17 and illustrated Gilbert, op. cit., vol. II p. 216, fig. 395.
[5] Harewood House 1795 Inventory, pp. 18-19 and illustrated Gilbert, op. cit., vol. II p. 216, fig. 394.