Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Her Majesty’s Furniture: One of a Pair of Beechwood Chairs made for George IV, 1790

Side Chair
Made for George IV
One of a Pair
French, 1790
The Royal Collection
In remarkably good condition, this is one of a pair of chairs dating to 1790 which were made for King George IV who was always redecorating something.
The design of the chair represents Venus, the goddess of Love (a subject in which King George IV was much interested). The chair is emblematic of the goddess whose son, Cupid, carried a bow and special love-encouraging arrows which are represented here—neatly carved into the beechwood backs of the chairs.

This pair of chairs are separated from an originally larger set of fourteen matching chairs which were made for Carlton House by the French maker François Hervé.

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