This design for an armchair by John Linnell, is inscribed ‘For Sr Nathl Curzons’. It was intended as a presentation design for Nathaniel Curzon, later 1st Baron Scarsdale, for his neoclassical mansion Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire. From 1760, the neoclassical architect Robert Adam became responsible for the decoration and furnishing of the family wing and the state rooms of Kedleston Hall, during which time this design by Linnell was made. Unlike some of Linnell’s more flamboyant rococo drawings (a style which became popular in the first half of the 18th century and characterised by curved forms and scrolling foliage), this design is ordered and restrained with a rectangular back and square seat. This formal structure is typical of neoclassical design and is contemporary with the decorative scheme that Adam was undertaking for Curzon at this time. The emphasis that Linnell has placed upon the legs (with features such as the lion paw feet) are similar to the way in which the architect James Stuart was using them, particularly for his zoomorphic furniture at Spencer House.
Nathaniel Curzon was a great patron of the Linnell firm. This chair was probably designed for the state drawing-room in the central block of the house, however it is uncertain whether a chair to this design was executed. The chair would have been upholstered in a luxurious blue material such as damask or patterned silk and the frame of the chair would have been gilded.