Description
A fine and very rare set of four English late-18th century satinwood painted armchairs attributed to Seddon, Sons & Shackleton, ca 1790.
Nb. It is not only quite difficult to find a single period chair of this type, but extremely rare for a complete set of four to have survived some 235 years. The majority of chairs of this model will be late-19th century or Edwardian; often sold in pairs.
Retaining their wonderful, almost entirely original polychrome decoration. Note The Prince of Wales’ feathers, summer flowers and musical trophies. These George III-period chairs are all in superb condition throughout, firm in the joints. Some have been re-caned recently, and all are fully ready to use.
There are very strong attributions to Seddon, Sons & Shackleton. These antique chairs we are offering bear a very striking likeness to numerous examples of their work, and demonstrate exceptional decoration. Furthermore they are of a very good shape, rarer than the more common shield-back design.
References:
Christies sold a lesser set of four armchairs on 16th December 2010 for £21,250.
An inferior pair sold at Christies in April 2006 for US$18,000, declared as by Seddon, Sons & Shackleton, 1790.
Note the striking similarities with the single example in the V & A Museum.
V & A – Explore The Collections
https://collections.vam.ac.uk › armchair-seddon-sons
Seddon, Sons & Shackleton… in 1790 in the largest and most comprehensive furniture workshops in London at the time.
Literature:
Nb. Very close Thomas Sheraton designs in Thomas Arthur Strange, English Furniture, Decoration, Woodwork And Allied Arts (1995) pp. 312, 315, ills. 1 & 20 (especially vis the back splat of the latter illustration).
Christopher Gilbert, Furniture History, Vol. 33 (1997), pp. 1-29, The Furniture History Society.
Herbert Cescinsky, English Furniture of the Eighteenth Century, Vol. II (1911) p. 246, fig. 267, plate 25 illustrates an almost identical back.
Ralph Edwards CBE FSA, Shorter Dictionary of English Furniture (Fourth edition 1972) ills. on pp. 156-160.
W. Simpson, On the origin of The Prince Of Wales’ feathers (1881) — The legend of the Black Prince at the battle of Cressy overcoming the blind King of Bohemia, and assuming his crest of three feathers.
