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1 of 253523 objects
Sofa 1827-28
Carved and gilded mahogany, silk damask | 99.5 x 209.5 x 101.5 cm (whole object) | RCIN 31373
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Set of three gilded mahogany sofas; each with straight back, the ends slightly curved; outscrolled arms carved with lotus leaves; seat rail with foliage; lions' paw feet at front, back legs of sabre design, all on sliders; upholstered in green silk damask.
These sofas form part of an extensive suite of seat furniture made for George IV's new private apartments at Windsor Castle, originally consisting of seven sofas, twelve armchairs, thirty-one side chairs, two reading chairs and a writing chair. Forty-one of the fifty-three pieces were intended for the Green Drawing Room, the remainder for the King's Writing Room. Those for the Green Drawing Room were covered in green silk supplied by the mercer W.E. King at a cost of £2 5s. per yard. Exclusive of the silk, the cost of the entire suite was £6,956. As in the case of the suite for the Crimson Drawing Room, the excessive quantity supplied by Morel & Seddon resulted in the removal of some pieces by the early 1830s and their reuse in Buckingham Palace.
The Green Drawing Room, like the adjacent rooms built and furnished for George IV between 1826 and 1830, combined furniture and fittings from Carlton House with new pieces by Morel & Seddon. Badly damaged in the fire of 1992, the room has since been restored and new silk of the original pattern has been woven for walls, curtains and upholstery of the seat furniture, including these sofas.
Catalogue entry adapted from Royal Treasures, A Golden Jubilee Celebration, London 2002Provenance
Part of the group of furniture and furnishings supplied between 1827 and 1829 to King George IV by the partnership of Morel and Seddon for the Library (now the Green Drawing Room) and His Majesty's Writing Room. Nicholas Morel had formerly worked for The Prince of Wales, later George IV, at Carlton House and the Royal Pavilion at Brighton. Subsequently, he was commissioned to design and furnish the newly built apartments designed by Sir Jeffry Wyattville (1766-1840) for the King at Windsor Castle. In order to fulfil the contract he entered into partnership with George Seddon III whose family had large and long established furniture workshops in Aldersgate Street in the City of London.
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Creator(s)
(furniture maker)(furniture maker)Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Carved and gilded mahogany, silk damask
Measurements
99.5 x 209.5 x 101.5 cm (whole object)
Category
Object type(s)
Other number(s)
M&S : Roberts, H., 2001. For the King's Pleasure: George IV's Apartments at Windsor Castle, London – M&S 94M&S : Roberts, H., 2001. For the King's Pleasure: George IV's Apartments at Windsor Castle, London – M&S 95M&S : Roberts, H., 2001. For the King's Pleasure: George IV's Apartments at Windsor Castle, London – M&S 330M&S : Roberts, H., 2001. For the King's Pleasure: George IV's Apartments at Windsor Castle, London – M&S 331M&S : Roberts, H., 2001. For the King's Pleasure: George IV's Apartments at Windsor Castle, London – M&S 332M&S : Roberts, H., 2001. For the King's Pleasure: George IV's Apartments at Windsor Castle, London – M&S 333