THE SPENCER HOUSE SOFA (A463M)
A hand carved mahogany framed, parcel gilt and
upholstered sofa, the serpentine trailing husk carved
toprail centred by a floral carved crest, with padded arms
and finely carved scroll uprights, enclosing a cushion seat
above a shaped, floral carved and fluted frieze, on eight
carved cabriole legs terminating scroll feet.
TRUE ENGLISH STYLE
Inspired by the original Sabicu and Limewood sofa at
Althorp, designed by James ‘Athenian’ Stuart for Spencer
House and executed by John Gordon between 1758 and
1765.
The largest set of style, comprising twenty-six armchairs,
eighteen plain chairs and four sofas, was originally
painted in white and gold on frames of hardwood
and lime and supplied to Earl Spencer for the Great
Ballroom at Spencer House. By 1874, when an armchair
was photographed in the Picture Gallery the suite
had been moved to Althorp. Photographs taken from
1892 onwards show more of the suite in various rooms.
The 7th, ‘Curator’, Earl Spencer (1892-1975) noted in his
manuscript catalogue that one of the sofas ‘was in the
Patchwork Bedroom, covered in chintz. In 1911 it was
upholstered in red velvet and placed in the Picture Gallery’.
10