Pair of George III Mahogany Chinoiserie 'Chinese Taste' Armchairs After Ince & Mayhew

A fine and decorative pair of George III chinoiserie ‘Chinese Chippendale’ cockpen armchairs in the manner of Ince & Mayhew. 

English, Circa 1770.

The rectangular pierced trellis backs having central shaped medallions with conforming splats to the out-slanting arms, the stuffed slip-in seats newly upholstered above pierced fretwork legs joined by conforming stretchers. Having a rich colour and in fine condition, these chairs have been reupholstered in a stylish yellow fabric with embossed flying birds. 

A wonderful designed armchair of a rare Chinoiserie ‘Chinese Chair’ form conforming to a design published by the much celebrated furniture designers, upholsterers and cabinetmakers William Ince and John Mayhew, who’s partnership run from 1759 to 1803 in London.

This type of trellis / latticework often be seen in fencing of terraced gardens on Chinese export porcelain imported into Great Britain in the 17th and 18th centuries. It was these Chinese designs that were expounded by William and John Halfpenny in ‘Rural Architecture in the Chinese Taste, 1752, (being designs entirely new for the decorations of gardens, parks, forrests, inside of houses) and also Sir William Chambers in his Designs for Chinese Buildings, Furniture, Dresses, Machines and Utensils of 1757.

The design of the armchairs follows very closely to the design for ‘Dressing Chairs’ by William Ince and John Mayhew successful publication “Universal System of Household Furniture’, 1762, plate XXXV.

Thomas Chippendale’s design for ‘Chinese Chairs’ also correlates to this design in his 1st edition of ‘The Gentleman and Cabinet-Makers Director, 1754 plates XXIII - XXV. 

They are designated as `Designs of Chairs after the Chinese Manner, and are very proper for a Lady's Dressing-Room: especially if it is hung with India Paper. They will Likewise suite Chinese Tempels’. It is amongst these designs from the Orient fashioned by Chippendale the term ‘Chinese Chippendale' is often heard, especially within the trade.

A related pair of open armchairs in the Chinoiserie taste and thought to have possibly been by Thomas Chippendale, were sold at Christie's, New York, 10 May 2018, Lot 647, $193,750. 

This design is also referred to as a ‘Cockpen chairs’, named after pew chairs with a Chinese lattice design in the Cockpen Church, Cockpen, Midlothian, Scotland. Cockpen chairs were originally made for the aristocratic Dalhousie family, circa 1775.

This term is thought to have used in later periods to describe the chairs as the term “Cockpen” has not been found to be used during the Georgian periods.

Dimensions

This object is eligible for a Certificate of BADA Provenance

Stock number