Armchair, one of a pair

This armchair represents the highest level of furniture craftsmanship and design in mid-18th century England. Combining Gothic ornament with contemporary Rococo elements, their design reflects the influence of Thomas Chippendale's book The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director (1754). These chairs are numbered (IV and VIII) on the interior seat rails, and were apparently part of a larget set. Two identical armchairs (nos. II and X) are in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and a matching settee was formerly in the Werner Collection at Lutton Hoo, England.