Description

An elegant armchair of the James II period, c.1685, tall and graceful, this was an important new stage in English chair design.
This style of cane backed and seated chairs had represented a revolution in seating comfort, but with the disadvantage of fragility.
A surprising number of these chairs still exist (they were made in their thousands) but many are now suitable only for decorative purposes as woodworm, frequent recaning, and damage to the joints and the tall backs have rendered them virtually unusable.This is not the case with this one. This chair, over 300 years old, with its glorious sculptural quality, is not just a joy to look at but also to use. Beneath the later drop in upholstered seat the original caning survives
As usual with these chairs there are signs of old woodworm, but now defunct.
The crest rail is carved with the highly fashionable 'boyes and crown'. This, and the front rail, are deftly executed with bold cuts of the chisel. This is typical of the sort of carving performed by London chairmakers at this period, by which maximum effect is achieved with the minimum of work.
DIMENSIONS: 46 inches tall, 23 inches wide, 25 inches deep.
PROVENANCE: Old Yorkshire Private Collection.
Internal Ref: 9064

Dimensions

Height = 117 cm (46")
Width = 58 cm (23")
Depth = 63 cm (25")