GEORGE III PAINTED ARMCHAIRS - LIBRARY ARMCHAIR - GILTWOOD ARMCHAIR - DINING CHAIRS - HALL CHAIRS - GEORGE II UPHOLSTERED ARMCHAIR

A GEORGE III GILTWOOD ARMCHAIR, the moulded
frame with oval back with padded arms and downswept
supports, the moulded serpentine seatrail centred by an
anthemion clasp, raised on circular tapering fluted legs
with fluted oval feet, circa 1770.

A GEORGE III LIBRARY ARMCHAIR, the rectangular
stufied back with down-curved padded arm supports,
with a loose cushion, on square chamfered moulded legs
joined by H-stretchers, circa 1770.

A GEORGE III GILTWOOD ARMCHAIR in the French manner,
the stuffed cartouche-shaped back within a moulded
frame with out-curved padded arms on scrolling supports, the stuffed seat
with a carved apron on cabriole legs, circa 1775.

A GEORGE III WHITE-PAINTED ARMCHAIR in the French taste,
the padded cartouche-shaped back within a moulded frame
with outcurved padded arms on scrolling moulded supports, the
stuffed serpentine seat on cabriole legs, circa 1770.

A SET OF six GEORGE III MAHOGANY DINING CHAIRS,
including an Armchair, the arched toprails with pierced
splats carved with rosettes and husks around a patera, the
armchair with out-curved moulded arm supports, with
stuffed seats, curved seat fronts, and turned fluted front
legs, circa 1780.

A SET OF TWELVE MAHOGANY DINING CHAIRS, the
rectangular backs with three stick splats, with stuffed
seats and square tapering legs with block feet and
H stretchers.

A GEORGE III WHITE-PAINTED SIDE CHAIR in the
French style, the oval padded back with a moulded
edge, the wedge-shaped stuffed seat on elegant cabriole
legs, circa 1770.

A SET OF THREE REGENCY BRASS-INLAID SIDE CHAIRS
in simulated rosewood, the rope-twist toprail above
two reeded crossbars joined by a panel inlaid with a
rosette and fleur de lys, the stuffed drop-in seats on
sabre legs, circa 1810.

A SET OF FIVE LATE GEORGE III MAHOGANY DINING
CHAIRS including an Armchair, with curved
panelled toprails, three fluted crossbars, the armchair
with downcurved moulded arms on baluster supports,
with stuffed seats and ring-turned baluster legs, circa 1815.

A SET OF six GOOD REGENCY MAHOGANY HALL
CHAIRS, each shaped back with simple incised decoration
and a central roundel painted with an armoriai crest, the
solid seats with canted corners and canted sabre front
legs, circa 1805, with squab cushions.

A GEORGE III MAHOGANY ARMCHAIR, the serpentine
toprail and pierced vase-shaped splat with outcurved
arms, drop-in seat on square legs joined by stretchers,
circa 1765, arms later.

A GEORGE III MAHOGANY ARMCHAIR of bergere
form, the arched stuffed back with a moulded frame and
with stuffed bow-fronted seat and reeded tapering legs,
circa 1780.

A SET OF six GEORGE III MAHOGANY CHAIRS, the
rectangular backs with three fluted splats, the solid seats
with squab cushions, on square tapering legs joined by
stretchers, circa 1800.

A LATE GEORGE II UPHOLSTERED ARMCHAIR, the
high padded back with scrolling arms and the stuffed
seat on square moulded legs joined by turned stretchers,
circa 1750.

A PAIR OF GEORGE II MAHOGANY CHAIRS with
gadrooned serpentine toprails, interlaced pierced splats,
the drop-in seats on carved cabriole legs ending in pad
tetl, circa 1760.)

A PAIR OF GEORGE III MAHOGANY SIDE CHAIRS with
shaped toprails, pierced interlaced splat and the drop-in
seat on square chamfered legs joined by an H-stretcher,
circa 1765.

A PAIR OF GEORGE III MAHOGANY CHAIRS, with arched stufFed
rectangular backs with padded seat on square legs joined by an H-stretcher,
circa 1770.

A SET OF EIGHT GEORGE III PROVINCIAL MAHOGANY
DINING CHAIRS including a pair of Armchairs, with
serpentine toprails pierced vase splats, outcurved arms
and the serpentine-fronted drop-in seats on square
moulded legs, circa 1770, restored     1500-2000
154 A SET OF FOUR GEORGE III MAHOGANY CHAIRS, the
hooped backs with pierced waisted splats headed by
wheat-ears, the stufFed seats on square tapering legs with
H-stretchers, circa 1770.

A SET OF FOUR GEORGE III MAHOGANY DINING
CHAIRS, the shaped moulded backs with pierced,
carved and waisted splats decorated with swags and
paterae, the drop-in seats on square tapering legs,
circa 1780.

A PAIR OF REGENCY CHAIRS with curved panelled
toprails, crossbars, drop-in seats and reeded sabre legs,
circa 1815.

A REGENCY EBONISED ARMCHAIR, the ringed toprail decorated
with flowers above moulded crossbars joined by caning,
with down-curved scrolling arms on scroll supports, with squab

cushion and caned seat, on moulded turned and fluted sabre legs, circa 1810.

A PAIR OF EBONISED AND PARCEL-GILT ARMCHAIRS,
similarly decorated to the previous lot, with square
tapering legs joined by stretchers, circa 1800, originally
unpainted.

A SET OF SIX REGENCY EBONISED DINING CHAIRS,
the turned toprails painted with bunches of flowers
above four crossbars held by gilt balls, with squab
cushions’and caned seats, on ringed splayed tapering
front legs joined by a double stretcher set with a ball,
circa 1810, decoration restored.

A GEORGE II MAHOGANY CORNER ARMCHAIR of
unusual form, with a tall narrow arched upholstered
back, with semi-circular flat crossbars below, the arms
with turned supports and with saddle-shaped seat and
cabriole leg and three further turned legs joined by
turned stretchers, circa 1735.

A GEORGE II WALNUT CORNER ARMCHAIR, with
pierced splats, stuffed drop-in seat and chamfered legs,
joined by stretchers, mid-18th Century    150-250
27 A GEORGE II BOOKCASE with moulded dentil
cornice above a pair of glazed doors with lancet mullions,
containing shelves, the base with two short drawers and
brass handles, 7ft. 5in. high by 5ft. Hin. wide (226cm. by
180.5cm.) circa 1760.

A PAIR OF GEORGE III PAINTED ARMCHAIRS,
the moulded frames with padded shield backs,
padded arms and downswept supports, and the
bow-fronted fluted seatrails on circular

tapering fluted legs, circa 1775, now painted
white and gilt, partly re-railed.

A SET OF SIX LATE GEORGE III CANED MAHOGANY
CHAIRS including a pair of Armchairs, with shallow
curved and caned toprails and matching crossbars, the
seats with rounded corners and circular reeded tapering
legs, the arms with pillar supports, circa 1800, one toprail
and one back broken.

George III Wing Armchair Upholstered - Mahogany Wing Armchair - Eighteenth Century French Armchair

A George III wing armchair upholstered in leather  c.1770. Note the square stretcher and leg construction of ‘Chippendale’ design. The curve of the wings is pleasant but the arms are a little stiff.
Price Range: $200  $300
N.B. As these chairs command high prices there is a grave temptation to make a set of legs in the Georgian style and cover the modern frame with leather. Such examples usually lack the fluency of curve which was
found in better class examples. A good dealer will leave the underneath uncovered to show genuine period features.
A Chinese Chippendale mahogany armchair with upholstered back and arms, c.1760. The bamboo motif is evident. The front legs are a remarkable achievement of craftsmanship and the nicely-scrolled brackets add
considerable balance. The upholstery covering is of typical period design. The legs are of clustered column design.
A later George III period  c.1790  mahogany wing armchair. The sweep of the curve formed by the wings and the back rail is important. Compare the straight high line of the wings and arms in this example with the
fluency of the two previous examples. This example is also rather thin, lacking the generous proportions of the better quality chairs. The lines would be improved by upholstery but the basic quality is lacking. The legs are tapered, ending in casters.
Price Range: $60  $90
Value points: Line of back, arms and wings
Mid-eighteenth century chair in mahogany showing Chippendale construction in legs and stretchers, c.1760.
Carving or moulding on legs  Originality of casters
George II period  c.1740  mahogany chair with stuffed back and saddle-shaped seat. Covered in Soho tapestry woven with birds and small landscapes in broad naturalistic flower borders; on scrolled cabriole legs. Price Range: $150  $200
Regency period chair decorated with brass or painted gilt mounts, frequently ebonised.
Price Range: $20  $40
Value points.- Brass decorations
Well curved leg with stretcher
A later eighteenth century chair, probably c.1795, with leather upholstery, on turned legs. The shaping of the back still follows the ’saddle’ style, but the chair is cruder and the legs date it much later. Price Range: $100
$140
A George III period  c.1780  open armchair with arched stuffed back and padded arms on curved supports with anthemion carving, the moulded frame with bead carving, the stuffed seat on turned tapering  legs with
lotus leaf feet.
An open giltwood armchair  c.1760  with considerable Adam influence in the frieze and fluted legs.
A later eighteenth century open armchair of French influence, but actually of a type made also by Chippendale, c.1780. The decoration includes cartouche backs headed by shell cabochons. The frame is carved with leaf mouldings, the scrolled arms with leaf shoulders. Covered in later gros-point needlework with panels of flowers in key-pattern frame against a blue ground with roses.
Bergere caned chair of Regency period, in rosewood, c.1830. These well made chairs have increased in popularity over recent years.

George II period mahogany chair - Antique Chair in Oak - Chippendale mahogany chair in the Gothic style - A Chippendale mahogany ladder-back chair

A George II period mahogany chair, c.1735. quality Cuban mahogany has been used, the normally be associated with walnut; but there se Shaped splat has small scrolls and a shell
are topped with eagle heads patterns carved on the knees.
Note that although a fine style is one which would are extra refinements. The work top. The shaped up-and the cabriole legs have
Price Range: Single chair $90  $110
In sets    $175  $230 per chair
Another walnut pre-Chippendale chair with simpler but similar back splat _esign. The square legs and stretchers suggest a later date  possibly -50  and the proportions are a little less ample, but this is nevertheless a very pleasing chair. There is a drop-in seat and the front legs have a scratch moulding down the front corners; they are chamfered at the back. Price Range: Single $15  $25
Quality and execution of back splats
Antique Chair in Oak - A Charles II  c.1675  oak chair - Late Seventeenth Century Country Walnut ChairChippendale mahogany armchair of considerable quality, c.1760. cabriole legs, decorated with shell and scroll pattern carving on the knee, terminating in excellent ball-arid-claw feet. The arms sweep boldly outwards, terminating almost at right angles to the line of the sides in scrolls. A very well proportioned back splat, with the upper scrolled curves leading perfectly from the top rail, which is also carved with leaf patterns. Note the boldness and width of the fully upholstered seat which is covered in leather. N.B. Although this type is generally known as a ‘Chippendale’ chair, it is interesting to recall that the Director’ shows chairs with cabriole legs with scrolled feet, until the third edition, when a plate of hall chairs shows the ball and claw foot, which was undoubtedly popular at this period.
Price Range: $300  $400
Value points: Quality and execution of cabrioles
Quality of back splat and carving
Warning: Many high quality Victorian reproductions exist of this type of chair. These reproductions have a value of $25  $35 each.
Antique Chair in Oak - A Charles II  c.1675  oak chair - Late Seventeenth Century Country Walnut ChairA single mahogany Chippendale chair, c.1760, of similar type to the preceding armchair but of bolder proportion. While the back uprights are reeded however, the legs are not. A scratch moulding down the corners of the front legs gives added lightness and the front apron is slightly serpentine. Note the very fine quality of the scroll and leaf carving which is pleasantly mellowed with age and lacks the sharpness of a reproduction piece. The overall proportions of the chair are extremely pleasing and demonstrate the ample size of eighteenth century seats.
A mahogany Chippendale chair, c.1760, with the splat again showing the Gothic influence in the arching. The top rail is waved and carved with leaves, but the legs and stretchers are the plain robust design of the
period.
Country Chippendale armchair in elm c.1770. A simple and appeallingly bold chair although this example has been worn or slightly cut down in the leg. The seat is fully upholstered, which may be a conversion due to damage to the front rail. The tenon joints are pegged.
Price Range: $30  $40
Colour, figure and patination
Quality of splat
Chippendale mahogany chair in the Gothic style, c.1755. Although the Gothic influence  and French influence also  are evident, it is only in mild form in this chair. In earlier versions taken from Chippendale’s `Director’ the Gothic designs are very much more exaggerated, with multi-arched backs and heavily fretted legs and stretchers. This chair is of high quality, good proportion and restrained, though righ, execution. (Gothic and Chinese Chippendale chairs of high quality are much sought-after).
A Chippendale ‘Ribbon’ back chair of c.1760 - 70. So called because of the ribbon carving in the back. Due to the craftsmanship involved in executing these chairs they naturally command high prices and are relatively scarce. The remainder of the chair is of typical Chippendale design, with fully upholstered seat which in some cases may be serpentine at the front.
It is interesting to note that although the period after 1730 - 40 is generally associated with mahogany, a well known example of this type exists in walnut, and walnut chairs are to be found of even later date.
Another Country Chippendale armchair  c.1770  of more ornate splat design, with drop-in seat. The Gothic influence is evident in the arching within the splat and the top rail is also arched in a slightly later style. Usually to be found in mahogany or country wood such as elm or birch stained mahogany colour.
Warning: Many such chairs, having been used hard for many years, have had stretchers replaced or cut legs replaced. Watch also for broken or replaced splats and top rails; the latter particularly at the tenon joint with
the upright.
A Chippendale mahogany ladder-back chair of c.1765. The ladder-back designs tended to be of later Chippendale period. In this case the back rails are elegantly designed and pieced to add lightness to the overall effect. Note the scratch moulding down the front leg corners also to add lightness and the chamfered backs of the front legs.

Antique Set of Mahogany Chairs, Dining Chairs and Settee

A SET OF SEVEN GEORGE III MAHOGANY DINING CHAIRS
Each with a shield-shaped back and pierced vase splat, with a padded seat, on square tapered legs with spade feet, and a matching single chair of a later date.
A GEORGE II STYLE MAHOGANY OPEN ARMCHAIR
With a floral-carved top-rail and pierced interlaced vase splat, foliate-carved arms, tapestry drop-in seat and scroll-carved cabriole legs with claw and ball feet.
A SET OF EIGHT MAHOGANY DINING CHAIRS, early 20th
century
Including a pair of elbow chairs, each with an undulating foliate-decorated top-rail and pierced chamfered Gothic arched sprats, with a drop-in seat, on moulded square tapered legs.
A GEORGE III STYLE MAHOGANY OPEN ARMCHAIR
With a serpentine top-rail and pierced foliate-carved vase splat, outswept arms with foliate scroll terminals, drop-in tapestry seat and scroll-carved cabriole legs with claw and ball feet.
A SET OF SIX REGENCY SIMULATED ROSEWOOD DINING CHAIRS
Each with a maple lotus-carved curved bar top-rail and horizontal splat, with a drop-in seat, on bead-decorated.
A SET OF TWELVE MAHOGANY DINING CHAIRS
With ebonised incised lines, each with a key-pattern curved bar top-rail and horizontal splat, with a padded seat on sabre legs.
A SET OF SIX REGENCY MAHOGANY DINING CHAIRS
Including one elbow chair, each with a brass-inlaid curved bar top-rail and rope-twist horizontal splat, with a drop-in seat, on moulded sabre legs .
A SET OF SIX GEORGE III MAHOGANY DINING CHAIRS
Each with a moulded shaped arched top-rail centred by a foliate spray and a pierced reeded baluster splat, with a drop-in seat, on square tapered legs joined by stretchers
Each with an undulating top-rail and foliate-decorated Gothic arched splats, with a padded bowed seat, on tapering legs .
A MAHOGANY CHAIR-BACK SETTEE
The undulating back with shield-shaped panels with pierced vase splats, with a padded bowed seat, on square tapered legs with spade feet.
A SET OF TEN WALNUT DINING CHAIRS
Including a pair of. elbow chairs, each with a moulded curved bar top-rail and solid vase splat, with a slip-in seat, on cabriole legs terminating in pad feet.
A SET OF TEN MATCHING WALNUT DINING CHAIR
A WALNUT THREE-PIECE SUITE
In the William and Mary style, comprising a pair of armchairs and a three-seater settee, each with a caned panel back with a pierced arched foliate scroll cresting, with outswept scroll arms and padded seat, on ring-turned legs terminating in Braganza feet.
A PAIR OF GIFTWOOD WINDOW SEATS, early 19th century
Each with padded sides with reeded arm and tapered columns, with a padded seat, on turned tapered legs 42in.
A SIMULATED ROSEWOOD AND PARCEL-GILT ELBOW CHAIR,
early 19th century The U-shaped caned panel back and arms terminating in lions mask terminals, with bowed caned seat on ring-turned tapered legs terminating in paw feet, the decoration of a later date.
A SET OF EIGHT GEORGE IV MAHOGANY DINING CHAIRS
Each with a scroll curved arched bar topsail and reeded horizontal splats with cruciform panels, with a padded seat on moulded square tapered legs with turned feet, some stamped Wilkinson. Ludgate Hill, numbered variously 89.39, 8940, and initialled variously, T. N., H. Al., 1.G., 1. Al. (8) William Wilkinson used this stamp up to about 1820 and with his sons traded from this address until about 1840. Dictionary of English Furniture Makers 1660-1840, Maney, 1968.
A GEORGE III MAHOGANY ELBOW CHAIR
The back with an undulating top-rail and pierced vase splat, with a padded seat, on square chamfered tapered legs; and an accompanying Victorian rosewood footstool, on bun feet.

CHAIRS  reproductions, 1880-1930
The return to 18th century styles in the 1880s affected chairs almost more than other furniture. Chippendale, Sheraton and Hepplewhite chairs were produced in varying grades of quality and exactitude. Queen Anne cabriole legs with ‘fiddle’ backs soon followed and, of course, the medieval oak craze had to be met by chair makers …
A mahogany ‘Chippendale’ chair of some considerable quality. The carved splat is of Gothic style in its origins and the scrolled cabriole legs end in ball-and-claw feet. It is still unmistakably Victorian, however, from its slightly narrow proportions. 1880-1900
A highly-carved ‘Chippendale’ chair with a wool-work tapestry seat. The narrow proportions, particularly of the back, proclaim it to be Victorian. The cabriole legs, which are elegantly carved, show that incipient bandyness and weakness at the ankle which are also characteristic.
A mahogany ‘Chippendale’ chair with a back of c,uite faithful reproduction. The seat is, however, smaller than the original would have been and the seat rai. has been made the same width as the legs. The original would have been more likely to have a deeper seat rail even if the legs were of the same proportions.
A mahogany ‘Chippendale’ ladderback chair with carved pierced rails to the back, which is well executed. The seat and the square legs are, again, small and thin compared with the 18th century original; the seat rail is not deep enough.
Typical mass-produced ‘Chippendale’ style chairs with rexine (imitation leather) covered drop-in seats. No problems of confusion with the originals here; both ‘carvers’ and single chairs are of proportion and dimensions well away from the 18th century. The Gothic style back splat is quite a good copy of an original design. 1890-1930
A mahogany `Hepplewhite’ chair of very good proportion, on moulded square tapering front legs. The back is a variation of the shield back, curved in shape with carving on the rails. The seat is full and bold, serpentine-shaped at the front and worthy of the original.
A classic shield-back ‘Hepplewhite’ chair with carved Prince of Wales’ feathers in the back design. The tapering square legs and slightly bowed seat are copied faithfully from the original and the proportion is good. A well-made chair like this was very much more expensive than a mass-produced, thin ‘Chippendale’ design  about nine guineas for this as against one and a half for the mass-produced item.
A mahogany wheel-back ‘Hepplewhite’ chair of good proportion and workmanship. The carving of the back is a considerable achievement and, with wear, and without sight of the unpolished areas, such chairs can be difficult to tell from an original period chair. 1890-1920, but could be made even now
A mahogany arm chair in Sheraton style with inlaid boxwood stringing lines as decoration. There is also an inlaid oval satinwood and marquetry panel in the broad top rail. These panels were available ready-made by machine from the trade.
Not quite Sheraton and not quite Edwardian ‘own brand’, these small chairs still owe more to the late 18th and early 19th century than to the 1900-1910 period in which they were made. The back is a Sheraton design-book copy and the tapering square legs end in block feet. 1890-1910
An example of the mahogany ‘Queen Anne’ style of dining chair which had a great vogue from around 1900 to 1940. They do not seek to emulate original Queen Anne period chairs too closely  these examples are usually mahogany or stained to look like it, and mahogany was not used in quantity until after 1730  and they are mass-produced in unmistakably economic ways, so there is little problem in differentiating them from the originals.
Elegant mahogany chairs based on a Queen Anne design and of a shape quite popular in the early 20th century. The front legs are an English variation on the cabriole, usually associated with country makers. The back curves are restrained without being stiff. The central panel of the back is caned and the pincushion seat is covered with a striped tapestry. Intended as an occasional chair but would now be sold for dining.
Four more variations on the popular `Jacobean’ chair theme, with pincushion seats covered in rexine (an imitation leather). More expensive than the previous examples because the stretchers between the legs are turned as well, not just left square for cheapness. The pair on the right have abandoned the twist turning normally used and have turned pillar supports capped by finials instead. (The rather elaborately carved top rail was not popular on post-1920 versions.) 1890-1920
Typical ‘Jacobean’ chairs, in oak, of a type also very popular from 1890-1940, made to go with the bulbous-legged refectory-style table of the ‘Jacobethan’ dining room. Twist turning is the key to these chairs which owe their form to the second half of the 17th century.
The end of the line for the ‘Jacobethan’ style. An oak chair with twist turning in prominent places and cheap square sections elsewhere. The drop-in seat is covered in rexine.
An oak arm and a single chair in ‘Carolean’ style with caned back and seat panels. They are fairly faithful reproductions of chairs of the Restoration period of 1680-1690, showing the elaborately-carved scrolled front stretcher between the front legs echoed in the top rail of the high back. They would be detected by the lack of age and wear apparent in them, and by their colour. Such chairs were originally made of birch, beech, oak or walnut and stained black. They are very decorative but not popular as dining chairs due to the
weakness of the seat jointing to the back and legs; the very thinness of the seat frame makes the joints very susceptible to breakage by weight or leverage. Nevertheless, this design, of all reproductions, is probably the one most faithfully copied. 1890-1930
A pair of oak bobbin-turned chairs in the style of 1660-1680 with leather covered backs and seats, peppered with large brass-headed studs like a pair of Restoration Hell’s Angels! These must surely have met the taste for medievalism with a vengeance. The bobbin-turned stretchers and the legs, with their square-section joints, look like faithful copies of the originals.
Another pair of oak chairs, known as Cromwellian in style, which emulate those of 1650-1670. They are similar to the previous examples but the more severe column turning of  the legs, with plain square stretchers joining them at ground level, is perhaps more apposite to the Protector’s time. Covered in velvet and just right for that big reproduction refectory table in the dining room.
An oak chair of square design in emulation of the 1650-1670 period and often known as ‘Cromwellian’. The turning on the front legs is not of a period type.
A ‘Queen Anne’ style chinoiserie chair of considerable quality. There was a revival of lacquer of this type in the 1920s and 1930s, with some high quality ‘reproductions’, in somewhat free interpretations, being produced.
1920-1930 For the single armchair. A set of two plus four singles
A reproduction of a caned French chair which, in Britain, has connotations of Adam and other classical styles. The chair is gilded over a gesso surface and has, unfortunately, an air of belonging to a ballroom or dining room of an old-fashioned hotel.

Chippendale dining chair

Historical background
Designs for Thomas Chippendale’s chairs were freely available once his pattern book, The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker’s Director was published in 1754 and were
Signs of authenticity
1. Solid, heavy mahogany, smooth and silky to the touch.
2. Underframes of beech, plane or sycamore.
3. Crest rails fitting into tops of side rails where design scrolls outward-curving.
4. Crest rails fitting between curving side rails where design is rounded.
5. Drop-in or overstuffed seats.
6. Separate shoe-piece attached to back of seat frame.
7. On chairs with cabriole legs, deep apron with rounded corners to seat frame.
8. On chairs with square legs, square corners to seat frame.
9. Seat frames on early dining chairs straight (not dished until c.1780).
10. On chairs with arms, arm supports set back almost half the depth of the seat, screwed with hand-cut screws, the screwholes concealed by plugs or dowels, now virtually invisible.
Likely restoration and repair
11. Later carving and fluting to legs – carving will not stand proud of silhouette.
12. Broken back legs repaired or replaced, by dowelling into sawn ends on the line of the apron.
13. Drop-in seats replaced with overstuffed – the apron beneath the seat material will be
polished like the rest of the frame, not left plain or made of correct underframe wood.
14. Heavy carved decoration on back side rails – either carved later, or a marriage between a late Victorian copy and a period chair. Correct decoration for period was plain or fluted.
15. Later, Victorian cabriole legs dowelled into underframe to replace broken originals. Bandy-legged appearance where not enough thickness of wood has been used for the legs.
made with modifications and variations by numerous furniture-makers throughout the period 1754-80.
The main shift in design from previous shapes was the squared, almost over-running shape of shoulder and crest rail, and the pierced and carved central splat. Mahogany was used almost exclusively for dining chairs of this period: its immense strength and density allowed pierced work of great elaboration. The beginning of the period maintained rounded
corners to chair seats, but once Chippendale reintroduced plain squared legs, seat corners were also square.
Chippendale chairs were made in sets for dining rooms. Their backs were lower to allow the newly adopted custom of dining d la Berline – with footmen serving dishes individually, instead of the hitherto traditional English way of dining, from a side table heaped with food.
Construction and materials
Throughout the Chippendale period, dining chairs were made in solid mahogany, oiled and rubbed smooth with brick dust or sand to a glossy, silky finish. The backs of chairs were lower, with square shoulders often terminating in small upward-curling scrolls. There were two types of construction: the traditional, with the crest rail fitting between the two side rails which curved inward towards the centre, and the innovative, with the crest rail almost over-running the outward-curving side rails, like a cupid’s bow. On chairs with arms, the supports were higher and the arms ran almost parallel with the seat, fixed to the sides of the seat frames almost half way back, to allow for fashionable full skirts.
Detail
Although the central splats, crest rail and legs were profusely decorated, the stiles were seldom carved, but left plain or fluted. Seats of chairs were sometimes overstuffed or had deep decorative aprons, often serpentine in shape.
It is surprising to learn that the technique of lamination was first used for the fretted backs and ornament of the Chippendale period. Layers of veneer of alternating grain were glued together and then cut with a fret saw into intricate shapes.
Variations
Simplified variations of Chippendale’s designs were made by most country furniture-makers, usually in oak, but also in elm, beech, ash and fruitwoods. They had plain wooden seats made of planking nailed to the underframe, usually in more than one piece, with the grain going from side to side. Occasionally they are to be found with rush seats.
The designs of the back include the crudest cut-out work – most commonly a curving variation of four or five straight splats, either in a wheatsheaf shape or an open vase or violin shape. Most widespread and enduring are those made in a
simplified ladderback design. Legs are square, sometimes slightly chamfered on the inner sides. The back stretcher is still set higher than the front, and the two side stretchers are parallel. The tops of the front legs form the sides of the seat frame, and there is usually a fairly deep apron.
Below left: classic example of later Chippendale, c.1700, ladder-back.
Centre: a provincial vase splat. Right: classic North country ladder-back.
Far right: nineteenth-century ‘ribband-back’.
Reproductions
Nineteenth century
Provincial furniture-makers were often as much as 50 years behind the most recent fashions, and ‘Chippendale’ chairs were still being made at the beginning of the nineteenth century. By the mid-nineteenth century they were being made by many furniture manufacturers, slightly modified, with rather meagre cabriole legs, or with the slimmer, scrolled leg and foot typical of the later period of Chippendale design. Often designs such as the ribband back and its variations had square legs and stretchers instead of cabriole legs.
Many Chippendale-style chairs were mass-produced for public rooms, assembly halls, hotels and board rooms, with machine-cut central splats, square, leather-covered seats, often dished, and with the shoe-piece made as an integral part of the back seat rail. Quality of materials and craftsmanship divide the mass-produced from good Victorian copies, which today are fetching extremely good prices.
Price bands
Late eighteenth-century mahogany, £400-550 each. Set of six, £5,000-7,000.
Country versions, £120-190. Set of six, £2,160-3,420.
Nineteenth-century walnut, £350-400 each.
Nineteenth-century mahogany – set of six, £3,000-4,000.

Queen Anne wing chair

The Palladian architecture of the early eighteenth century suited the English landscape beautifully, but the high ceilings and spaciousness of the interiors were more suited to warmer climates. Porters in draughty halls sat out their on-duty hours in deep, hooded chairs which almost entirely enclosed them. In drawing rooms, their masters and mistresses sat protected from draughts in high-backed wing chairs, elegantly upholstered in fine needlework. In libraries, wing chairs were leather-covered and edged with rows of brass studs.
The square shapes of earlier periods gave way to curving lines and hooped backs to seating furniture, which was designed for comfort as well as elegance. Over two and a half centuries have passed and the design of the winged chair has remained virtually unchanged.
Signs of authenticity
1. Beech, plane or sycamore frame, with rust, dirt and embedded fabric where original upholstery was secured to the frame with square-headed iron nails.
2. Front legs continue up to form the corners of the seat frame.
3. Flowing S-curve of the arms, ending in rounded arm rests, curved and tapering down to the seat frame.
4. Back legs continue up above back seat level, raked inward before sloping gently outward to form shape of raked back.
5. Cabriole legs short, well-proportioned, with or without carving on the knee.
6. With pad feet and stretchers, the join is always into square-sectioned blocks, the stretchers usually H-shaped.
Likely restoration and repair
7. Almost certainly completely re-upholstered at least once in its lifetime.
8. Frames rebuilt, repaired, particularly on arms, which may have broken outwards and been pinned.
9. Back legs broken and replaced.
10. The whole built up from two good cabriole legs, perhaps from a stool or other piece of furniture.
11. No wing chair should be bought as genuine unless the underframe is visible at some part – particularly on the joins of the legs.
Construction and materials
The key shape of the eighteenth century wing chair is the curve, with the line carried down to the neat curve of the short cabriole legs in front and the splay of the back legs. For the first decade of the eighteenth century the seats were deep, and the arms set more or less square, but from c.1710 the seats flared out to accommodate the wide hooped skirts and full coattails of fashionable dress. The frames were made of beech, plane or sycamore — woods which could be close-nailed without splitting. Cabriole legs were of walnut until c.1720, and then of mahogany. They were upholstered with tow or horsehair, bound with webbing, and covered first with hessian and then with calico before the final upholstery in leather or needlework.
Detail
Early eighteenth-century wing chairs had little carved decoration on the front leg ‘knee’ (more elaborate carving became fashionable after c.1720 with the introduction into England of mahogany). They had shaped squab seats and frames were studded with small brass-headed nails around the outer sides of the wings and on the base above the legs, particularly when upholstered in leather.
In the early eighteenth century, front legs ended in plain pad feet and stretchers were slender. After x1730, heavier ball-and-claw feet were preferred and stretchers were often omitted altogether.
Variations
Upholstered furniture of any kind was a luxury until the mid-Victorian period and was not made or used by any but the well-to-do.
The equivalent of the wing-back chair in country furniture is the high-backed, oak settle to seat three or four people near the fire, with wings to keep out the draught, and the high-backed, so-called `lambing chair’ which was simply a single version of the long settle. Later, Windsor chairs became the country equivalent of the upholstered wing chair.
Below: wing chair with crisp outlines, c.1710.
Right: ‘Porter’s chair’.
Reproductions
There has been virtually no break in the production of winged chairs of one sort of another since they were first made. Some later eighteenth century wing chairs have wide ribbed backs and are more curved, with shorter arms, but most originals are very hard to find in any good state. The only major change in construction came in 1828 with the invention of the coiled spring for upholstered furniture. In the mid-Victorian period some chairs were made with cast-iron frames, a short-lived idea because of their extreme weight.
Above: nineteenth-century version, with bulging arm supports, drooping wings and insignificant legs.
Price bands
Eighteenth century, with original upholstery, k5,000
Eighteenth century, with later upholstery,
0,500-4,500.
Eighteenth century, with pad feet and stretchers, £2,500-3,500.
Nineteenth-century reproductions, £450 700.

Queen Anne spoon-back chair

Historical background
The transitional shape of chairs at the end of the seventeenth century included the curved S-scrolling legs with pronounced `knees’ and a carved central splat. These two key features were swiftly followed. by the
Signs of authenticity
1. Back made up of five parts: two side supports (or ’stiles’: continuation of back legs); a central curved, veneered splat; a shoe-piece attached to the
bottom seat rail and a decorative crest rail.
2. Cabriole legs cut from thickness of timber, with generous spring.
3. Tops of cabriole legs form corners of front seat frame.
4. Underframe of oak or beech.
5. Walnut veneer on solid
walnut for central back splat.
6. Made in walnut and walnut veneer to c.1735, then in mahogany.
7. Correct height of seat should be 1 ft 6 in.
8. All carved decoration integral, incised, including scallops, masks, etc. on aprons as well as carving on knees and crest rail.
9. Inner surfaces of drop-in seats and seat-frames unpolished, rough.
10. Shoe-piece made separately from back seat rail, not integrally.
Likely restoration and repair
11. New seat frames and back legs: underneath, the new wood can be clearly seen, as well as joints where legs have been attached to back seat rails not continuing in same grain all the way up.
12. Plain or squared cabriole legs decorated with later carving to add value: carving will be in line with silhouette, not
standing proud.
13. Arms added to increase value, deceptively curving. Seats of chairs with arms should be at least 2 2.5 in wider than singles.
14. Square corners to front of seat and integral shoe-piece suggests marriage between later base and original back.
cabriole leg and the single plain central splat so typical of Queen Anne chairs. The single innovation of the cabriole leg completely changed the construction of chairs, which no longer had stretchers and were made with deep aprons, solid underframes and curved backs. Drop-in seats, a feature of chairs from the 1690s, were soon adapted to the new seat-frame construction.
Construction and materials
The construction of the cabriolelegged chair differs so radically from its predecessors that it needs to be described in some detail. The cabriole leg was cut from a single piece of timber, using the natural spring of the wood for strength.
The ‘knee’ was first cut in squared section, and then rounded and carved. Above the ‘knee’, the top of the leg formed the corner of the seat-frame, which had to be deep and was made with an apron to take the depth of the leg support. The back leg construction remained the same, with the legs continuing up to form the side rails of the curved back. The central splat was cut in serpentine shape, not steamed and bent. With some of the end grain showing where the shape cut into the wood, the splat had to be veneered, and great skill was required to fit the veneered splat into the short length of carved crest rail above it. Below, the splat fitted into a shoe-piece, made separately from the back seat frame.
On armed chairs, the chief difference was that the arms were no longer supported by a continuation of the front legs, the arm supports being set back and curved. The arms, instead of being fixed to the front of the back supports, curved outward and were fixed to the sides of the back rails.
From c.1715 the curve of the cabriole leg was taken up under the seat on either side with two decorative side pieces, glued or dowelled to the tops of the cabriole legs and the underframe. Up to that date, pad or club feet were usual, but after 1715 the heavier ball-andclaw foot became fashionable.
Detail
In many cases the apron was veneered - when it was cut in serpentine shape, for example, as with the central back splat.
The scallop shell was a favourite motif on the crest rail, knees and centre of the apron until c.1714, then leaf carving with eagle’s heads on arms. From c.1720-35 the lion’s mask appeared on the cabriole leg with lion’s paw feet.
Variations
Period country copies were in oak or fruitwood and also in beech, with double stretchers on three sides and simply turned decorative front stretcher, still set high as in previous period. The front legs were often pinned into the underframe in a similar manner to the construction of later cane-backed and periwig chairs, which
was simpler but not so enduring. Many had rush seats and the central splat rested on a cross-rail above the seat. Others had a shoe-piece and the splat was fiddle-shaped or vase-shaped, fitting into a slightly curved crest rail. Plain wooden seated versions were also made, with slightly dished seats to take a loose cushion.
Far left: fine quality, c.1700, with shell-carved knee to the well-sprung cabriole leg. Positive cyma-curved side supports flow into crest.
Left: grand country version, with vase-shaped back splat, drop in seat, well-shaped cabriole legs on pad feet.
Reproductions
Nineteenth century
Like all Queen Anne furniture, these chairs were copied in the Victorian period, but the
cabriole leg looks bandy because the timber was skimped in the cutting. The back legs had an uneasy transition to the side rails of the back, often giving an ungainly line instead of a sweeping, raked curve. The shoe-piece was made as an integral part of the back seat rail, an easy sign to detect.
These chairs were too high-backed for dining chairs, having been made before the age of butlers and footmen, and of all chair designs, the Queen Anne spoonback is probably the least reproduced after the mid-nineteenth century.
Above: nineteenth-century copy, with awkward side supports, heavy back legs and weak
cabriole.
Price bands
High quality ’shepherd’s crook’ armchair, c.1700, £3,000-5,000.
c.1700, ball-and-claw, with veneered back splat, £1,800-2,500 each.
Provincial, c.1700, with solid back splat, £500-1,000 each.
Nineteenth-century, with veneered back splat,
£210-290 each.
Set of six, £1,500-2,000.

Late 1700`s Chair

The variety of chairs burgeoned in the mid to late 18th century, with French styles remaining popular. Although elements of the Rococo style lingered, chairs began to look more Neoclassical and became squarer and straighter. cabriole legs were rejected in favour of turned, tapered supports, often fluted or decorated with reeding, and oval and rectangular-    backs became more common.
Different types of chair evolved: the bergere remained the same stylistically, but the frame was often simply waxed, rather than painted and gilded, as in the first half of the century. Desk
chairs and corner chairs, which were popular at the beginning of the period, had shaped backs. The shield back became fashionable towards the end of the century, with the pierced splats incorporating a wide range of Neoclassical motifs. Desk chairs usually had rounded seat rails and often had an extra leg at the centre of the seat rail, making five legs in total.
Corner chairs, like hall chairs, were small and designed to be decorative rather than useful. They were usually rather fragile, as they were not designed for regular use.
At first, chairs were ordered individually, but from the mid century onwards, sets of furniture known as suites became more popular. These varied from small groups of matching chairs to extensive suites that included a number of pieces, such as armchairs, side chairs, bergeres, window seats, stools, and sofas.
Any decoration on hall and corner chairs was likely to be carved, but more expensive armchairs and their matching side chairs, designed for grander rooms, were often delicately painted or highlighted with gilding.
The top rail is waxed, rather than painted.
The sides of the chair are fully upholstered.
LOUIS XV BERGERE
This chair shows how Rococo style adapted to Neoclassical fashion. The beech frame retains a carved, serpentine top rail and cabriole legs, but is waxed. The chair is upholstered in blue silk.
The armrest is upholstered where the sitter’s arm is placed.
A simple C-scroll connects the arm to the cabriole leg.
The rear leg extends outwards.
LOUIS XVI DESK CHAIR
This French tub desk chair has a curved and lightly carved seat rail, and the seat, back, and sides are all upholstered in leather. It has Neoclassical turned and tapered armrests and legs. c.1780.
QUEEN ANNE CORNER CHAIR
This walnut chair has a crest rail with a raised yoke centre, shaped arms, and solid, vase-shaped splats. It has one front cabriole leg and three turned legs, all with slipper feet. c.1770-1800.
SOUTH AFRICAN CORNER CHAIR
This chair is made from native stinkwood and yellow wood. The pierced back splats are reminiscent of Chippendale designs. The square, chamfered legs are connected by stretchers. c.1780
NEW YORK CORNER CHAIR
This mahogany chair has a top rail with a raised yoke centre, carved knuckle handholds, and vase-shaped splats. The deep seat rail is supported on three cabriole legs with slipper feet and one rear turned leg. c.1750.
GEORGE III HALL CHAIR
This mahogany hall chair has a cartoucheshaped back. Within the C- and S-scrolled frame are carved heraldic elements, including an Irish harp and crown. The piece terminates in panelled, tapering legs. c.1770.
GEORGE III HALL CHAIR
One of a set of four, this mahogany chair has a typically Neoclassical oval back. The solid mahogany seat overhangs the front rail. Tapering legs support the frame and a stretcher connects the rear legs. c.1780.
CHINESE CORNER CHAIR
This rosewood chair has a central leg with a shell carved on the knee, and it terminates in a claw-and-ball foot. Attenuated turned stretchers anchor the legs. c.1780.
GEORGE III CORNER CHAIR
This provincial oak chair is one of a pair. The seat is composed of three planks of oak. Turned spindles connect the seat to the rounded back, a technique often seen on Windsor chairs c.1800.
ENGLISH HALL CHAIR
This mahogany chair has a balloon-shaped back that fits into a shoe at the base. The seat is solid mahogany with a circular lowered section. The tapered legs terminate in squared ends. c.1790
CHINESE HALL CHAIR
This chair was made for export to the West. The solid splats are decorated with an inlay. The dish-moulded seat is shaped at the edges. Square, chamfered legs are joined by stretchers. c.1760.
ENGLISH HALL CHAIRS
These mahogany hall chairs have central veneered tablets, and pierced, waisted supports. The seats are slightly bowed and framed with panels. The turned, blocked legs are joined by cross-stretchers.
c 1780.

Early XVIII Century Chairs

EARLY in the 18th Century, Queen Anne-style chairs had a solid, narrow splat, usually of a vase or baluster shape, which fitted into the centre of the back rail. The frame tended to be straight and narrow, with rounded shoulders, and the seat was rounded or balloon-shaped with an upholstered seat.
Queen Anne chairs were usually made of walnut, although vernacular versions were made of elm or oak. They had slightly cabriole legs and pad feet. The earliest versions had Hat or turned stretchers.
During the second quarter of the 18th century, squared seats became more common. The seat rails were shallower and often shaped, and sometimes had carved or applied shells in the centre. Chair backs had
serpentine crest rails terminating in scrolls or volutes and the back splat was wider. The upper section of the back splat sometimes had scrolled ears close to the intersection with the top rail. On very fine examples,
splats were sometimes carved at the edges.
The knees of cabriole legs were now more pronounced and frequently carved with shells or husks, or had carved volutes attached below them. Most chairs still had pad feet, but claw-and-ball feet first appeared in
about 1725 in Britain and around 1740 in the American colonies.
Chinese furniture makers produced chairs that were similar in style for the lucrative European market.
The back splats is solid and an inverted baluster shape.
Carved roundels echo the decoration on the crest rail.
Shell motifs are often found on cabriole legs of the period.
ENGLISH SIDE CHAIR
This is the ultimate example of a George I side chair. The solid, inverted baluster-shaped back splat slips into a shaped shoe. Rounded shoulders form a continuous S-shape to the stiles, which terminate in volutes.
Carved shells adorn the centre of the crest rail and appear on the shaped knees. The balloon-shaped seat is
upholstered in needlepoint. The front of t-e seat rail has a cartouche in the centre. The cabriole front legs have claw-and- ball fee- the back legs have block feet. This type of chair was copied all over Britain, Europe.
the colonies, with chair-makers drawing various elements depending on their cl
c.1720.
ENGLISH SIDE CHAIR
This is an early example of a Queen Anne side chair. The back splat is solid, the shoulders and stiles are slightly curved, and the slip seat is balloon-shaped. The chair is attributed to John Yorke on the basis of the
design and construction. c.1710.
CHINESE ARMCHAIR
This open-style armchair, made of solid padouk, incorporates a variety of different elements. The solid splat is shaped but the stiles below the shoulders remain straight. The splayed cabriole legs are shorter than those seen on European examples. c.1740.
AMERICAN SIDE CHAIR
This walnut chair from Massachusetts displays a mixture of styles. It has the slim back splat and turned stretchers popular at the beginning of the century, while the square slip seat and curved legs are more typical of the mid century. It represents a transition between Queen Anne and Chippendale styles. c.1745.
PERUVIAN ARMCHAIR
This mahogany chair reflects the Rococo style. The crest rail has asymmetrical central carving. The sinuous moulding continues from the crest rail down the stiles and onto the arms. The legs are cabriole-shaped with
C-scrolls on the knees. The pierced splat may be a later replacement. c.1750.
INTERPRETING THE FRENCH STYLE OF CHAIRS
During the 18th century, the European nobility and the increasingly influential middle classes sought more elegant surroundings and rooms in which to entertain and converse, and with this came more comfortable
furniture, which invited visitors to linger.
This desire for a more sociable environment led to the development of new chair styles. French craftsmen created the fauteuil, an upholstered armchair with open sides. This feminine-looking piece influenced the
development of chairs around the world, and allowed the occupant to entertain in comfort.
Compared to the heavy-looking, high-backed chairs of the 17th century, these armchairs were lighter and more refined in shape, reflecting the fashion for feminine Furnishings. The), were often decorated in the same style as the room’s other furnishings, using similar colour and fabrics.
The seat and back of the fauteuil were upholstered to make the chair more comfortable. The armrests
were also padded and covered in the same fabric. The arms were set further back around a quarter of the length of the side-rail in order to accommodate the large, hooped skirts that were fashionable with aristocratic ladies from around 1720.
Decoration was often asymmetrical in the Rococo style, incorporating shells and rocaille. Raised on cabriole legs, the entire frame of the chair was a mass of graceful curves. Usually painted in pale blues, greens and yellows to match the colour scheme of the interior, the exposed framework might also have gilt decoration to emphasize both shape and carved detail.
Cabinet-makers all over Europe strove to emulate and surpass the talents of their French counterparts in meeting the demands of their wealthy clients, many of whom were hungry for furniture in the French taste. Interpretations of the fauteuil were plentiful throughout the continent, and the fauteuil became the seating style of choice for the most fashionable European homes in the early 18th century.
Italian Armchair Inspired by the fauteuil, this Italian example has a higher, more oval back with intricate gilt carving. The pastel paint reflects the French fashion for more subtle surroundings. c.1750.
German chair This chair emulates those of contemporary French cabinet-makers, whose influence can be seen in the ornate, rocaille carving and the pale colours of the floral-embroidered silk upholstery. NAG
English armchair Essentially French in style, the later date of this armchair by Ince and Mayhew is evident from the square, tapering legs and Neoclassical decoration, which were fashionable from the 1760s.
French Fauteuil The elegance of the gentle curves is emphasized by the gilt decoration. The shell motifs on the crest rail and the knees are typical of the period.
CANTONESE SIDE CHAIR
The wide, undulating shoulders of this chair and the unusually wide splat indicate that the chair is of non-European origin. The crest rail and back stiles are made from one piece of wood, which is typical of Chinese furniture. c.1730.
SWEDISH ARMCHAIR
The back splat of this mahogany chair is unusual in that it terminates into a back stretcher rather than into the seat of the chair. A stylized carved shell decorates the crest rail and serpentine apron. This chair also has
turned stretchers, even though they were no longer fashionable at this time. c. 1755.