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Description A set of six George II style carved giltwood side chairs, 20th century, in the manner of Giles Grendey, the serpentine backs and rectangular seats upholstered in pink damask, on cabriole legs with lion mask carving to the front legs, on hairy paw feetProvenance: Possibly 10 Downing Street Literature:A.Seldon, 10 Downing Street: The Illustrated History (1999)Survey of London: Volume 14, St Margaret, Westminster, Part III: Whitehall II p.125Catalogue Note:In 1940 during the Blitz in London a bomb fell on Treasury Green and narrowly missed No. 10 Downing Street but caused extensive damage to the kitchen and staterooms. Winston Churchill therefore demanded the house be stripped of its furniture and pictures where it stood almost empty throughout the war with only the Garden Rooms, Cabinet Room and Private Secretaries' office remaining in use. The extent of the damage was captured by a series of images published in national publications in which the present lot are possibly visible. Whilst the present chairs are of 20th century origin, it is quite possible that Downing Street was in fact furnished in 'style' furniture as documented in Survey of London in 1931 (p.125).This is due to the general disregard given to the house as the official home by Prime Ministers during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Whilst it served as their office, most prime ministers preferred to live in their own townhouses.Thus it is probable that the house was furnished with a more economical option whilst still ensuring its rooms were filled with the style of furniture befitting the position. Indeed, interior shots show a furnishing change in the Pillard Room between 1907 and 1927.As No.10 became more seriously considered as a home throughout the early 20th century, in 1954 a new set of Kentian chairs were purchased from Compton Place, Eastbourne, for the Pillard Room with the present set appearing to have disappeared. No longer in the Government's collection, it is quite possible that the missing chairs are indeed the chairs which were the ones offered and bought by Sir William at the Christie's South Kensington Sale in the 1980s.