Now that’s some good provenance: “An extraordinary pair of 19th c. giltwood klismos armchairs with ebonized owl-form arm supports. Most probably supplied to Adrian Hope, son of Thomas Hope, by Alexander Roos for the Carlton Gardens residence.” Kentshire Galleries Ltd. - Pair of Giltwood Armchairs
Stunning carving… it takes some really dense Mahogany to create rococo forms like these: George III Mahogany Gainsborough Chair with Needlework Upholstery
mmmm… love me some Hans Wegner.
Advice: Don’t try to split the Wishbone (model CH24) chair with a friend, no matter how big or urgent your wish might be… You’ll just end up bruised and wishing you hadn’t broken an expensive piece of furniture over a superstitious dinnertime custom. That would be sad, no?
Mahogany Loop-back side chair, manner of Robert Manwaring England, circa 1750
I am a huge fan of the gentleman who owns Clinton Howell Antiques.
I walked into his UES gallery one afternoon in 2007, wearing a hooded sweatshirt and jeans - I was on vacation from college. I looked possibly like a thief, and most certainly looked nothing like his typical client. He treated me like I was the only person in the world, and spent more than 2 hours teaching me about recognizing various wood types and how each one normally ages, then on how to recognize various signs of quality in 18th century cabinetmakers’ construction techniques. His general intelligence and passion for the antiques trade are equaled by few people.
That said: if you have any interest in (very fine) English furniture, I highly recommend a visit to his online gallery. Also, he keeps a fantastic, well-rounded blog that can be found here.
Mondo Cane - Pair Paul Rudolph Lounge Chairs
“Extremely rare pair of low lounge chairs custom-made from plexiglass and Abstracta display pieces. These were made by Rudolph for the Modulator showroom and townhouse on 58th street here in NYC.”
