Description

This is a fine piece of furniture, every bit as usable now as when it was made. It has the characteristics of a Yorkshire chair, Leeds area. The two panelled back, with superb carving, is typical of 1630-40, but the two applied mouldings are of a type fashionable in the 1650s and later. The Northern counties were very conservative and these wainscot chairs were made there long after those further south had ceased their production.
This chair is of excellent quality but constant use over the centuries has inevitably left its marks.
As these once high status chairs became unfashionable in the 18th century they moved down from gentry houses to farmers and small merchants then into cottages.
This example shows all the signs of constant use, being used almost to the point of extinction and needing considerable repair.
From the late 18th into the 19th century a fashion for mediaevalism and antiquarianism began and flourished, started by 'The Castle of Otranto' and encouraged by Sir Walter Scott's hugely successful writings.
Furniture that had been discarded was sought and restored. All this history is shown in this chair... some parts have been skilfully replaced or repaired. Although not one for the purist collector this is a fine chair with a long story to tell...and it is sturdy enough to last at least another 350 years.
It is priced at a fraction of the cost of an untouched chair of this type.
DIMENSIONS: 45 inches tall x 23.5 inches wide x 22 inches deep.
PROVENANCE: Bristol private collection.
Internal Ref: 9146

Dimensions

Height = 115 cm (45")
Width = 60 cm (24")
Depth = 56 cm (22")