These chairs of klismos form closely recall designs by Thomas Hope published in his 1807 pattern book, Household Furniture and Interior Decoration. Their overall form, together with the ebony inlay to the cresting rail, arms, and legs, is comparable to a chair described by Hope as 'Mahogany chairs, inlaid in metal and ebony' illustrated on plate 24 (no. 3, fig. 1). The stylized mask of Medusa to the center of the crest rail likewise relates to Hope’s design on plate 38 (no. 1, fig. 2). The inclusion of the Medusa head is a direct allusion to the goddess Minerva, whose shield bore the mask, and by extension to Perseus, who slew Medusa with Minerva’s aid. Minerva, like Apollo, was considered a benevolent deity, patroness of wisdom, the arts, and just war. While Bacchic attributes are most commonly associated with furniture intended for dining rooms, the presence of a mask of Mercury may have had personal meaning for the original commissioner.