Armchair

With its serpentine top rail, scrolled arm rests and feet, and broad back, this chair, though made in England, is typical of mid-18th century chairs in the French Rococo style. Furniture designers in England drew inspiration from their trendsetting peers in Paris (the birthplace of the fanciful Rococo style) as well as from French craftsmen working in London. Several renowned English cabinetmakers, including Thomas Chippendale, included designs for “French Chairs” in their furniture pattern books.

This chair is one of a set of at least 12 reputed to have been made for Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive (1725–1774), for Walcot Hall in Shropshire, England.