A Set of Four Italian Cream-Painted and Parcel Gilt Armchairs

18th Century

Height 40 1/2 inches.

Property from the Estate of Frank McIntosh, Greenport, New York

Frank J. McIntosh, homeware and accessories merchant and merchandiser, entered the New York retail scene in the early 1950s as the protégé of philanthropist and socialite Pauline Vandervoort Hoving, wife of Walter Hoving, chairman of the board of Tiffany & Co., with whom he traveled the world attending trade shows and honing his eye for fashion and the decorative arts. He was later hired by Henri Bendel as a merchandiser, where he was tasked with creating displays for the luxury retailer's famed "Street of Shops." In this role, McIntosh is credited as having introduced numerous renowned designers to the American retail market, including Fendi, Bottega Veneta, Karl Springer, Alessi and others.

McIntosh gradually transitioned into the tableware sector in the 1970s and established his own company in a leased partnership with Henri Bendel, which he eventually expanded to several other cities around the country. A pioneer in the world of tableware and home accessories, McIntosh’s eponymous line presented an eclectic array of accessible yet sophisticated table settings. Among his most noted designs were table linens manufactured in the United States and abroad. Numerous items from Frank McIntosh's personal collection of furniture and decorative arts are included throughout this auction and in our upcoming Chicago Collections auction.