Bob Courtney Auctions has a sale coming up on on Saturday, November the 8th that will include the six brethren to the above four John Henry Belter side chairs.  The complete set is being categorized as following Belter’s “Henry Clay” pattern.

The issue that I have with this set (not even having looked at condition yet) is that it appears to be an incongruous marriage with an un-Henry Clay suite.  Aside from the fabric variations and the inexplicably large number of ten pieces (nine of which are chairs), some of the side chairs have a distinctly different design than those above.

I did some initial digging before vacation to try to unravel the pattern of the chairs that I don’t see as pure Henry Clay but ran out of time, so maybe someone with deeper Belter knowledge can enlighten us.  The chairs in question are below.  A glance at THE Henry Clay reference set that started the pattern is all you need in order to see the variation in the seat back.

What we may have is a few chairs that don’t fit a particular pattern but are an ancestor of, descendant of, or variation on the Henry Clay pattern (with some Rosalie).  Some more digging would tell me for sure and if they are not meant to be together, this is an example of a large set that I wouldn’t get agida over if someone decided to split it up post-sale.  I would bet good money that it will be split by it’s next owner.  Courtney should or might have even thought of doing so.

Anyway, there is more to see in this sale and while it is still pending you can see a selection of items from it below including a signed Karpen Art Nouveau set from 1906-1911 (thanks, Emily Rose, for that info), some “RJ Horner” chairs that are more likely also Karpen (see here to compare), a great Belter window seat, a questionable Roux attribution (did Roux ever really do Atlas figures? not that I’ve seen), a Meeks sofa, an Aesthetic cabinet that they attribute to Herter Brothers, as well as a “Hunzinger” hall tree that mysteriously looks like a Merklen knockoff (I don’t think it is actually made by either), and more.  Something for everyone …

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In January we profiled the upcoming sale of 7 pieces from the reference set for John Henry Belter’s “Henry Clay” pattern here . The sale completed today with hammer prices far exceeding the expected ranges in all cases. Sold in 5 lots, the Rosewood set comprised of a sofa, méridienne, and two pair of side chairs, bringing in a total of $105,312.50 including buyer’s premium. Let’s hope it finds it’s way into another museum - this time for good.

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Up for auction from St. Charles Galleries, Inc. are 7 pieces of John Henry Belter’s “Henry Clay” pattern parlor furniture. The exciting part of this sale is that these pieces are being deaccessioned from “Ashland,” The Estate of Henry Clay, Lexington, Kentucky. These are the reference pieces for the “Henry Clay” pattern. Sold in 5 separate lots. The sofa sale starts at $4,000 and the range is $5,000 to $8,000.

More from the listing:

This group of Belter parlor furniture was owned by Colonel William Cassius Goodloe. Colonel Goodloe served as chairman of the national committee of the Republican Party and was later appointed Minister to Belgium by President Hayes. Goodloe lived at the now Historic “Loudoun House,” one of the largest and finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture in Kentucky. Goodloe’s daughter married into the Henry Clay family and her grandchildren donated this set to Ashland in the 1950’s.

Can provenance get any better?

Belter American Rococo Revival Rosewood Méridienne - starts at $4,000. Range $5,000 - $8000

Belter American Rococo Revival Rosewood Armchair - starts at $2,000. Range $2,500 - $4,000

Belter American Rococo Revival Rosewood Sidechairs - starts at $2000. Range $2,500 - $4,000

Belter American Rococo Revival Rosewood Sidechairs - starts at $2000. Range $2,500 - $4,000

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