By John Gee
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
We are delighted to offer for sale this rare and important suite of twelve original John Gee 1779-1824 Regency bergère Rosewood with brass inlay dining chairs
Where to start, these are as rare as they come, an original suite of John Gee chairs and twelve no less! They have rosewood frames, brass inlaid and period bergère seats with later mate removable cushions. I have included a brief history on John Gee below along with some of is later sales and so on
Most likely if you are a collector and follower of fine furniture, you would have seen this design many times before, these are the originals, where it all began, the first edition period pieces by one of the great cabinet makers of the late 18th to early 19th century. The craftsmanship is as fine as they come
In terms of the condition, they are all structurally sound, the finish is original and they haven’t been professionally restored so far as I can see. There are some small losses which is quite normal to the brass work and some punches to the bergère again consistent with age and use, they are after all, over 200 years old. We have deep cleaned hand condition waxed and hand polished them from top to bottom, I can have them fully, professionally restored for the cost price should the new owner wish, they can be made as gallery perfect as possible
X2 Carver dimensions
Height:- 84.5cm
Width:- 52cm
Depth:- 59cm
Seat height:- 45cm
X10 standard chair dimensions
Height:- 84.5cm
Width:- 46.5cm
Depth:- 53cm
Seat height:- 46cm
Please note all measurements are taken at the widest point
Gee, John 49, Wardour Street, Soho, London; chair maker and turner (fl.1779–c.1824)
Also listed as Gee & Sons (1809) and Gee, Thomas Ayliffe (1804– 09)
In about 1779 John Gee replaced Thomas Ayliffe as partner to Benjamin Crompton, who had been Turner in Ordinary to George III since 1762. On 14 October 1787 Gee was sworn in as turner ‘jointly with Thos. Ayliffe his partner’, but his name, unlike Ayliffe's, does not appear in the Court and City Register until 1799. Ayliffe was the fourth member of his family to be a turner to the King, so Gee was probably the junior partner.
In 1790 Lord Wilton bought chairs for the Music Room at Heaton Hall, Lancs. ‘2 June 1790 Aycliffe & Gees Bill for chairs etc. £49 8s.’. From 1799, when he is described as ‘Chair-maker, 49 Wardour Street, Soho’, Gee is listed in London directories.
In 1803 he is called ‘Chairmaker & Turner to His Majesty’ and this title occurs regularly in entries up to 1823; in most directories, however, this appointment is omitted. Gee is also included in the list of master cabinet makers attached to Sheraton's Cabinet Dictionary, 1803. The last directory listing for Gee is 1823–24.
On 8 November 1804 Thomas Ayliffe Gee was appointed Turner in Ordinary to the King jointly with his father and briefly, in one directory of 1809 the firm is listed as ‘Gee & Sons, Turners & chair makers’. John Gee's name is shown in the Court and City Register until 1831, well after his apparent retirement.
Charles Holme Bridges, who succeeded Gee at 49 Wardour St in 1824 received a royal warrant in 1822 but is first entered as a turner in the 1832 Register. Gee's productions have been identified through stamped marks: ‘J GEE’, ‘GEE’, l GEE’, ‘Jn. G’ and a crown, J within G, and ‘GEE WARDOUR ST’ have been noted. Certain chairs are stamped with initials: ‘RR’, ‘GL’, ‘GH’, ‘IT’ and ‘WG’ have been noted. These are probably the marks of individual chairmakers in Gee's employ.
His seems to have been a substantial undertaking. The following summary list records chairs by Gee in the order of their emergence:
Pride's of London, 1962, 6 chairs, painted trophies on green and brown background, stamped ‘J GEE’. Bearne's Sale Rooms, 1964, settee, 2 armchairs, 7 chairs, stamped ‘J GEE’; 8 chairs, brass inlay, stamped ‘J GEE’. Sotheby's, London, 19 June 1970, lot 80, 4 chairs, simulated rosewood, gilt, stamped ‘GEE’ and ‘RR’; Sotheby's, London, 23 October 1970, lot 170, 6 chairs, simulated rosewood and brass inlay, stamped ‘GEE’ and ‘GL’ (some only); Sotheby's, London, 11 June 1971, lot 192, 2 armchairs, ebonised and gilt, stamped ‘GEE’; Christie's, London, 20 January 1972, lot 64, 8 chairs, ebonised, stamped ‘I GEE’ and ‘GH’; Bearnes & Waycotts, 1974(?), armchair, painted. Christie's, London, 31 October 1974, lot 98, 3 chairs, gilt, one branded ‘Jn. G’ twice with crown, the other two branded with crown, and with trade label of Copworth Bros. & Harrison, 22 Old Bond Street, Carpet & Cabinet Manufacturer to Her Majesty; Pride's of London, 1975, 6 chairs, simulated rosewood and brass inlay. Temple Newsam House, Leeds, 1976, 2 armchairs, ebonised and painted, stamped J within G and ‘IT’. Mrs G. M. Douglas, Bath, 1978, 3 chairs, painted green, stamped ‘GEE WARDOUR ST’ and ‘WG’. Sotheby's, London, 14 November 1979, lot 277, 2 chairs, painted with flowers, one stamped ‘GEE’. Private House, Monmouthshire, 1985, 8 chairs, ebonised, all stamped ‘GEE’ and ‘IT’, and 2 settees, en suite, both stamped ‘GEE’ and (?) ‘WP’. SOANE MUSEUM, 4 plain splat back chairs...
Category
18th Century English Antique Regency Chairs
MaterialsRattan, Rosewood
