Comprising two armchairs and eight side chairs, one armchair and six side chairs, circa 1755, together with one armchair and two side chairs of a later date; each serpentine back elaborately carved with scrolling tendrils, the pierced splat centered by a quatrefoil with trellis, the out scrolled arms with scroll handholds, on cabriole legs headed by pendant flowering vines and acanthus and with claw-and-ball feet, the padded seats covered in floral cut-velvet, restorations including one armchair with later veneer to splat, crests with restored breaks on some, some chairs with Untermeyer collection label
Armchairs: 39 in. (99.1 cm.) high, 30 in. (76.2 cm.) wide, 26 in. (66.0 cm.) deep
Side chairs: 38¹⁄₂ in. (97.8 cm.) high, 23¹⁄₂ in. (59.7 cm.) wide, 23 in. (58.4 cm.) deep

The Collection of William Hesketh Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme, The Hill, Hampstead Heath, Middlesex (photographed in the Music Room, circa 1925).
Sold, The Art Collections of the Late Viscount Leverhulme; Anderson Galleries, New York, 9 February 1926, lot 95 (eight side chairs and one armchair).
Acquired from the above sale by French and Company, Inc., New York, for $15,000.
The Collection of Mr. and Mrs. William Randolph Hearst, New York City (photographed in the South Library of their Riverside Drive apartment, 'The Clarendon', in 1929).
Sold, Selected Art Objects from the William Randolph Hearst Collection; Hammer Galleries, New York, 1941 (six side chairs and one armchair).
The Collection of Judge Irwin Untermeyer, New York.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York;
Sold; Christie's, New York, 11 November 1971.
With Christopher Gibbs, London.
With Martha (‘Sunny’) von Bulow, Clarendon Court, Newport, Rhode Island.
Sold; ‘Property from a Private Collection’ [von Bulow]; Sotheby’s, New York, 28-29 October 1988, lot 491 (ten chairs; listed in catalogue but retained by the family).

Advertisement, Country Life, 7 November 1925, vol. LVIII., no. 1505, p. 2 (six side chairs photographed in the Music Room at The Hill, Hampstead Heath).
Underwood & Underwood, Main library in residence of William R. Hearst, New York City, c.1929, Photographic Print, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., https://www.loc.gov/resource/cph.3c10937/.
Underwood & Underwood, The south library of Mrs. William R. Hearst's home at Riverside Drive and 86th Street, looking from the entrance from the main library toward the south end, New York City, Photographic Print, c. 1929, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., https://www.loc.gov/resource/cph.3c11340/.
I. Hackenbrock; English Furniture, The Irwin Untermyer Collection, New York, 1958, figs. 139, 140, pl. 112, 113.

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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.

The side chairs:
CHAIR A: Old repairs to joins where crest-rail meets the upright stiles. Scattered old repairs to the top junction of the splat. Some shrinkage and separation around the shoe. Proper left back leg with minor old vertical age splits. Ears are okay. With circular gold Untermyer collection label, printed 'Irwin Untermyer Collection' around the border, and inscribed '175' in ink to the center.
CHAIR B: Repairs to the crest-rail at the joins. Scatted restorations and small replaced sections to carved and pierced splat. Proper right front ear replaced. With dowel reinforcement repair to proper left back leg/upright below seat. With circular gold Untermyer collection label, printed 'Irwin Untermyer Collection' around the border, and inscribed '175' in ink to the center.
CHAIR C: The crest-rail with repairs to joins. Scattered patch repairs and tiny restorations with subsequent infill throughout. Proper left central acanthus in-scroll on splat a later replacement. Back of splat apparently re-backed for additional support. The shoe with repaired old age splits. Proper left front ear is possibly a later replacement, and proper right front ear is definitely a later replacement. With circular gold Untermyer collection label, printed 'Irwin Untermyer Collection' around the border, and inscribed '175' in ink to the center.
CHAIR D: Repairs to the crest-rail at the joint. Scattered restorations and small replaced sections to carved and pierced splat. Later replaced elements to lowest section of splat, and to proper left in-scrolled acanthus carving on splat. Tiny replacement to carved tip of proper left side ear. Discolored repairs to the base of the splat and back seat rail. Later corner blocks but ears are all okay. With circular gold Untermyer collection label, printed 'Irwin Untermyer Collection' around the border, and inscribed '175' in ink to the center.
CHAIR E: With old restorations and repairs to crest-rail at the joins. With old patch repairs, restorations, and small replacements to pierced and carved splat - the entire back of splat splat has been re-backed to the reverse with conforming metal for additional support which is visible from the back and secured with screws. The shoe with some age cracks and infill. Ears are okay. With circular gold Untermyer collection label, printed 'Irwin Untermyer Collection' around the border, and inscribed '175' in ink to the center. Proper left back block with stencil inscription '19214'(?).
CHAIR F: A later copy. Typical scattered marks and nicks, tiny loses, age cracks, etc. throughout commensurate with use. The knees with rubbing. No Untermyer collection label. The back seat-rail a later replacement.
CHAIR G: Repaired old breaks and replacements to carving on the crest-rail where it meets the pierced splat. Repairs and cracks to the shoe. Small scattered losses throughout, particularly to pierced and carved splat. Back of splat re-backed for additional support. Ears are okay. With circular gold Untermyer collection label, printed 'Irwin Untermyer Collection' around the border, and inscribed '175' in ink to the center.
CHAIR H: A later copy. Typical scattered marks and nicks, tiny loses, age cracks, etc. throughout commensurate with use. The knees with rubbing, similar to that seen on Chair F. No Untermyer collection label. The back seat-rail a later replacement which matches the timber of that seen on Chair F.
The armchairs:
ARMCHAIR I: With old repaired breaks and restorations to crest-rail, particularly at the joins. Tiny losses to carved extremities and small replacements throughout commensurate with age and use, with subsequent visible discoloration. The back of the splat re-backed for additional support. Small replacement to edge of shoe and with typical age cracks. Ears all okay. Both back feet with old repairs and replacements to tips. With circular gold Untermyer collection label, printed 'Irwin Untermyer Collection' around the border, and inscribed '175' in ink to the center.
ARMCHAIR J: A later copy. Scattered typical nicks, marks, and surface scratches throughout commensurate with use. No Untermyer collection label. With the same quality of carving throughout and rubbing to the knees as seen on side chairs F and H which are both also later copies.

Additional dimensions:
The side chairs seat height: 18 in. high
The armchairs seat height: 18 in. high

Print Report