Details
Comprising four fauteuils and seven chaises, the arched panel back with leaf-tip and bead carving, serpentine seat over tapered stop-fluted legs headed in rosettes
38 in. (96.5 cm.) high, 2412 in. (62.2 cm.) wide, 18 in. (45.7 cm.) deep, the fauteuils
Provenance
Acquired by Elizabeth Stafford from Mrs. Anita O'Keefe Young in 1976.
A Love Affair with France: The Elizabeth Stafford Collection; Christie's, New York, 1 November 2018, lot 1220.
Special notice
From time to time, Christie's may offer a lot which it owns in whole or in part. This is such a lot.
Please note this lot will be moved to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services (CFASS in Red Hook, Brooklyn) at 5pm on the last day of the sale. Lots may not be collected during the day of their move to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services. Please consult the Lot Collection Notice for collection information. This sheet is available from the Bidder Registration staff, Purchaser Payments or the Packing Desk and will be sent with your invoice.
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Lot Essay

Anita O'Keefe Young (1891-1985), a well-known philanthropist, was the sister of the artist Georgia O'Keefe, and wife of Robert R. Young, the Chairman of the New York Central and C. & O. Railroads. Her impressive collections of French and English furniture, silver and porcelain were housed in 'Fairholme', her Newport, Rhode Island summer mansion built in 1870 by Furness and Evans, and 'Montsorrel' ('Mountain of Sorrow'), her magnificent ocean-front estate in Palm Beach that she built in 1965 following the death of her husband. Montsorrel was the second largest residence in Palm Beach after Mar-a-Lago.

Mrs. Elizabeth Stafford (1928-2018), known as Mimi, was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. While working for the State Department in Germany, she met her husband in France and they lived in Paris from 1961-76, before settling in New York. While living in Paris, she transformed their apartment into an authentic 18th Century French home, which was frequently opened for international museums and cultural groups. The couple generously lent their collection to the New Orleans Museum of Art in 1966 with an exhibition called Odyssey of an Art Collector, to raise funds after hurricane devastation. Mimi was a Fellow at the New Orleans Museum of Art, and a benefactor to the Frick Museum, the Metropolitan Museum, the Morgan Library, and the Metropolitan Opera and her collection was lent extensively around the world.

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