A George III green and cream painted sofa, circa 1770

A George III green and cream painted sofa, circa 1770, attributed to Mayhew and Ince, the shaped and padded back with beaded top rail, flanked by padded and downswept arms decorated with anthemion and bell flowers, the serpentine fronted padded seat with fluted seat rail, on turned tapering, fluted and spirally reeded legs, terminating in gadrooned feet and leather castors, the underside of the front rail stamped 'CLAREMONT', 108cm high, 181cm wide, 60cm deep

Provenance: Property from a Distinguished Private Collection

Possibly supplied to King George III (d.1820). By descent to or acquired by Queen Victoria (d.1901). Almost certainly moved to Claremont, Surrey, in a 19th Century refurnishing. H.R.H. Prince Leopold (d.1884), Duke of Albany, youngest son of Queen Victoria, who occupied Claremont from 1882. His wife H.R.H. Princess Helen (d.1922), Duchess of Albany, who lived at Claremont until 1922. Her daughter, H.R.H. Princess Alice (d.1981), Countess of Athlone. Thence by descent until sold Christie's, London, 3 July 1997, lot 48.

The celebrated partnership between William Ince and John Mayhew ran from 1759 to 1803. The firm's clientele consisted of the nobility and gentry of the era. Numerous bills have been traced in well know country houses and many masterpieces from their workshop have been identified. Their volume of engraved designs, The Universal System of Household Furniture, was a rival to Chippendale's Diretor.

Condition Report:
Marks, scratches and abrasions throughout comensurate with age and use. Old splits and chips. some old repairs. some chips of loss to the painted surface. Inspection of the underlying frame from beneath the seat show that the frame has previously been significantly cleaned back leaving basically no original patina tot he surface. The seat rails themselves appear original. The supporting rails running from the rear seat rail to the front seat rail may possibly be replacements. There are a relatively small number of old worm holes to the seat rails (see images) this does not affect the solidity of the structure or joints. The painted decoration throughout the exterior of the frame appears significantly cleaned and the painting refreshed. It is difficult to tell to what extent it has been refreshed but has likely been refreshed throughout. The sofa is of very solid structure overall. The upholstery bears very few marks. The castors are of the period and appear original and bear expected wear. We cannot guarantee the originality of the timber frame underlying the upholstery. Please refer to additional images for visual reference to condition