A pair of George III Mahogany Hall Chairs in the manner of Mayhew & Ince

A pair of George III mahogany hall chairs, circa 1775, in the manner of Mayhew and Ince. Each with an oval and fan fluted back, centred with a roundel. The chairs have dished solid seats above a fluted frieze, on tapering legs.

With their fan-shaped backs, these chairs are designed in the George III ‘Roman’ fashion introduced in the late 1770s and popularized by Hepplewhite & Co's publication The Cabinet Maker and Upholsterers Guide, 1787. The overall form is found on a set of armorial chairs dating from the 1770s and attributed to the leading Soho firm of Mayhew and Ince, sold Christie's, Chirk Castle sale, 21 June 2004, lot 54. A further set with related medallion backs was commissioned in the mid-1770s by George Brodrick, 4th Viscount Midleton (d. 1836) for his entrance hall at Pepper Harrow, Sussex. The work on the hall was executed under the direction of Sir William Chambers but the chairs are believed to have been supplied by Mayhew & Ince. Three pairs of chairs from the Pepper Harrow suite were sold anonymously Collection of a New York Townhouse, Christie's, New York, 15 April 2005, lots 220-222. Another pair from the same suite was sold anonymously, Christie's, London, 11 February 1999, lot 5.