Fine Set of 10 George III Style Mahogany Dining Chairs Stamped Gillows - After Designs by Robert Manwaring c.1890

A Fine Set of 10 George III Style Mahogany Dining Chairs Stamped Gillows, After Designs by Robert Manwaring c.1890 The chairs with finely crafted splats incorporating foliage, acanthus carving and interlaced fretted motifs. The splats designed with a shoe piece in the 18th century manner. The back legs of each chair stamped Gillows and with the relevant Gillows numbers. The seats upholstered in patinated leather with brass studs and with serpentine front rails. The front legs have foliate carving to the knees and claw and ball feet, a feature often erroneously associated in the 19th century with Thomas Chippendale. Although most dealers and auctioneers would describe these chairs as “Chippendale style”, they are in fact modified versions of a design that is referenced in both of Robert Manwaring’s publications but most particularly in his 1766 work The Chair-maker’s Guide. The Gillows craftsmen have subtly reinterpreted this design but most of the factors, including the serpentine front rail, do come directly from Manwaring’s pen. The construction of these chairs is still very faithful to their 18th century counterparts and the fine proportions are typical of Gillows and rather more refined that Manwaring’s rather unbalanced drawings which are reproduced in his books. A set of 10 chairs of this model represents a rare survival from the period and the chairs are especially desirable due to each one being stamped and numbered. Frequently sets were only part marked so this is a rarity in itself.