attributed to Duncan Phyfe, New York, circa 1815, each with scrolled back with figured mahogany tablet crest over a very finely carved lyre form splat, upholstered slip seats, ash secondary, on leaf carved saber front legs with carved and gilt hairy paw feet, appear to retain period slip seats, 32-1/2 in. (overall); 17-1/2 in. (seat height); 16 in. (seat width)Note: While made in New York, this remarkable set of chairs was made for the Middleton family of Charleston, South Carolina, and likely started life in the Nathaniel Russell House in that city. The chairs apparently descended in the Russell and Middleton families, ultimately becoming part of the furnishings of "Hey Bonnie Hall", theÿMiddleton family home in Bristol, Rhode Island, and the city where Nathaniel Russell was born. Nathaniel Russell's daughter, Alicia Hopton, married Arthur Middleton, whose son was Nathaniel Russell Middleton, who married Anna DeWolf, daughter of William DeWolf, builder of "Hey Bonnie Hall." Two chairs apparently from this set are pictured in early photographs of "Hey Bonnie Hall." It is interesting to note that the architecture of "Hey Bonnie Hall" is markedly similar to the Gordon-Banks house, a detail that William undoubtedly noted and enjoyed. For a discussion of these chairs and of Charlestonians' taste for New York furniture in the period, see McInnis and Leath, "Beautiful Specimens, Elegant Patterns: New York Furniture for the Charleston market, 1810-1840" (Chipstone, 1996) pp. 137-174. One from the Banks set is illustrated as figure 6, and McInnis and Leath note that the set "(Represents) the very best of Phyfe's work."Duncan Phyfe's design for lyre back chairs of this type is documented in his pencil sketch done for the Bancker family, circa 1815. They were expensive in their day, with "stuffed" seats costing a bit more than caned seats at $23 per chair. This rare surviving set of six is distinguished from the other known published examples by its very finely detailed leaf and rosette carving on the lyre backs, quite distinct from the leaf carving typically found on Phyfe chairs of this period. Two other chairs with this distinctive carving, and probably from the same set, are in the collection of Winterthur Museum (see Montgomery, American Furniture, The Federal Periodÿ(New York, 1966). Examples from the Banks set are widely published, including in Wendy Cooper, In Praise of America, catalog no. 294, in Jonathan Fairbanks, American Furniture 1620 to the Presentÿ(New York 1981) p. 259, andÿin Katherine Gross Farnham, ?Living with Antiques: The Gordon-Banks House in the Georgia Piedmont,? The MagazineÿAntiques, 102, no. 3 (September 1972): p. 444.ÿPeter Kenny illustrates two closely related lyre back chairs in Duncan Phyfe: Master Cabinetmaker in New York, plates 17 and 20. Other closely related examples include a set made forÿthe family of William Livingston, Governor of New Jersey, one of which is illustrated in 19th century America, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1970, catalog 27.ÿ; Provenance: Some chairs with early jelly labels inscribed "bequest of Miss. N. Rosalie Creighton, Sept. 1931"; purchased from Israel Sack, New York, October 1971 for $24,000 (original invoice accompanies lot). The Sack receipt records "These chairs were given to the Newport Historical Society in 1931 by Miss Elizabeth Creighton of Newport in memory of her mother, Elizabeth Coffin Creighton of Charleston, South Carolina. This set of chairs was acquired by us from the Newport Historical Society and are presumed to be part of the set which belonged to the Middleton family and is shown in the Middleton home in Bristol, Rhode Island - "Hey Bonnie Hall." The pair of satinwood card tables shown in Mrs. Middleton's "Hey Bonnie Hall" dining room (photostat) and the pair of lyre chairs in "Hey Bonnie Hall" drawing room (photostat) were acquired by Israel Sack in the 1930's. "Hey Bonnie Hall" in Bristol Rhode Island was built by William DeWolf in 1808. DeWolf's daughter Anna DeWolf (1815-1908) married Nathaniel Russel Middleton (1810-1890) of Charleston, who is buried in Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston. Middleton, plantation owner, state representative, and President of the College of Charleston had five children with Anna DeWolf. Middleton's first wife was Margaret Emma Izard, daughter of Henry Izard. Margaret died at the young age of 24, and Nathaniel subsequently married Anna DeWolf.; The Estate of William N. Banks, Jr., Newnan, Georgia this set survives in a remarkably fine state of preservation, all chairs front feet formerly fitted with casters (now removed), scattered veneer cracks and checkingÿto crest tablets, some wear and minor chips at knees, and other scattered minor surface flaws; Chair II: possible restoration at one front foot (lamination lines differ from the other chairs); Chair III: possible restoration at one front foot side lamination; Chair IV: break and repair at one front foot with glue residue at bottom, evidence of pin repair from back; Chair VII: minor cracks to one side of lyre, crack and repair at one rear foot, lacking one small rosette at side of crest; Chair X: crack at base of one lyre, break and repair at one foot, minor crack at one side rail; Chair XI: two tenon repairs at side rails, break and repair at one front foot