George III mahogany hall settee – £140,000 at Bonhams.
The 4ft 1in (1.25m) piece came from Spains Hall, an Elizabethan country house near Finchingfield, Essex, bought in 1760 by the Bocking clothier Samuel Ruggles. The house remains the seat of his descendants, the Ruggles Brise family.
A similar group of hall furniture was originally supplied by Linnell to either Edwin Lascelles (d.1791) for Harewood House in Yorkshire or to David Lascelles (d.1784) for Goldsborough Hall, Yorkshire.
Bonhams’ recently launched sale format involves quality items across a range of different periods and disciplines.
