Panelling from Chesterfield House

This panelling is part of a room which was originally known as the Ante- Room or ‘French room’ at Chesterfield House, London. It represents one of the earliest examples of the Rococo style in England. It was commissioned by the 4th Earl of Chesterfield for his London house. As an enthusiast of French taste he very probably wanted to imitate the new Rococo style which had its origins in France in the 1720s. His designer was Isaac Ware, who was both an exponent of the Rococo style as well as a critic of it. However, with this panelling he created a restrained though accomplished example of the style and avoided much of the excessive exuberance of the Rococo for which it was famed on the Continent. The decorative carving may have been the work of the celebrated French carver Jean Antoine Cuenot, known to have been working in London at this time.