A mahogany Hepplewhite Chair - A Country Hepplewhite Design Chair - Georgian Chair
A mahogany Hepplewhite Chair - A Country Hepplewhite Design Chair - Georgian Chair
A mahogany Hepplewhite chair of pleasing proportions. The arms show the more restrained curves of the late 18th century although the seat, legs and stretchers are still bold and firm in proportion.
A Country Hepplewhite design chair of a type most frequently found made in elm. Normally they are stained or varnished to look like mahogany, and have been stripped and polished later if now in the natural wood. The
design is known as a camel-back and is a logical development of the town-made mahogany one; simpler in execution and less decorated. The seat is solid and would probably have had a squab cushion on it.
Hepplewhite mahogany shield-back arm and single chair c.1790. The craftsmanship involved in making a successful shield-back chair is of the highest order and to obtain the necessary degree of comfort and stability as well as fine proportion is a task of considerable difficulty. The central baluster of these two fine chairs are joined to the top rail by the ‘Prince of Wales feathers’, a very favourite motif with Hepplewhite and one beingemphasized in his Guide . The shield -backs are edged with a small double beading on the inner and outer edges. The legs on these are not reeded and there is less decoration than that of the preceding example.
Proportion and quality of carving Structural condition and originality
Fine quality Hepplewhite arm and single chair. Note the leaf carving on the back and round the top rail to finish half way down the uprights. The influence of Robert Adam is evident in these.
A mahogany Hepplewhite chair which suggests a development from a Chippendale design rather than a break from it. The structure is very similar; the front legs are not tapered on the inside edge and the camel-back form of top back rail tempers the outward sweep of the uprights.
Hepplewhite shield-back chair c. 1790. The carving of the back is of particularly fine quality. The tapering legs are reeded and the decoration of brass studs adds further ornamentation. Normally executed in mahogany.
Price Range: considered by many to be a high point in English design, original shield back Hepplewhite chairs fetch very high prices. Those below are an indication:-
A mahogany Hepplewhite chair of pleasing proportions. The arms show the more restrained curves of the late 18th century although the seat, legs and stretchers are still bold and firm in proportion.
A Country Hepplewhite design chair of a type most frequently found made in elm. Normally they are stained or varnished to look like mahogany, and have been stripped and polished later if now in the natural wood. The design is known as a camel-back and is a logical development of the town-made mahogany one; simpler in execution and less decorated. The seat is solid and would probably have had a squab cushion on it.
Hepplewhite mahogany shield-back arm and single chair c. 1790. The craftsmanship involved in making a successful shield-back chair is of the highest order and to obtain the necessary degree of comfort and stability as well as fine proportion is a task of considerable difficulty. The central balusters of these two fine chairs are joined to the top rail by the ‘Prince of Wales feathers’ , a very favourite motif with Hepplewhite and one
being emphasized in his Guide . The shield-backs are edged with a small double beading on the inner and outer edges. The legs on these arenot reeded and there is less decoration than that of the preceding example.
A mahogany chair of c. 1790 of a design also associated with Hepplewhite although some of the conflicting trends of 18th centurydesigns are evident in the square legs and eight pointed wheel effect. It is a fairly simple version of a beautiful design and represents a considerable accomplishment in craftsmanship.
A later Georgian chair of Sheraton influence in the back but with arms more associated with Hepplewhite styles. The tapering front legs and the back are reeded; a mark of quality.
A country version of the two previous Sheraton style chairs. The seats are solid and the back leg and upright very much straighter and rigid, with very little rake. The backs are also simplified; the front stretcher is
placed high between the two front legs as with earlier chairs instead of between the two side stretchers.
Later period Victorian chair in mahogany. Note the heavier, squarer back with over-emphasized corner carving. The cabriole legs and seat rail are also heavily encrusted. The fully upholstered seat gives an appearance of overstuffing and top heaviness.
A chair of design normally associated with the William IV or early Victorian period. This is in fact a Gillows design of 1877 and illustrates the fact that one must be very circumspect about dating Victorian chairs by their design for one finds similar designs being executed over a period of 30 to 40 years. The fully upholstered seat and moulded front rail give a heaviness not present in our rosewood William IV examplebut the back and the turned and fluted front legs could easily be associated with the 1830-40 period.
An unashamed Victorian mahogany chair of which the back owes much to the balloon design of more elegant versions. The uncorseted bulbous front legs are of a kind which have a robust appeal of their own even though most dealers flinch at the sight of them.
A Gillows design of 1884 which owes a good deal to earlier period fashions. The legs are more bulbous and the upholstered seat - not shown in this constructional sketch - would be very full. The chamfered and
grooved inside edge of the back is to lighten the effect of the very broad top rail and uprights. The latter have been ornamented with a small scroll at the join of the top rail in what almost seems an afterthought of
design.
Tags: 18th century, back chair, cabriole legs, century, chair, CHAIRS, Chippendale, country, craftsmanship, Guide, HEPPLEWHITE, mahogany, robert adam, Upholstered, victorian mahogany, Wales, William, William IV, wood