CHAIRS — country
Windsors did not have a monopoly on pleasing country chairs and designs and serious students of country chairs keep unearthing particular local examples, some of them very attractive. In addition, the nineteenth
century saw the mass-production of many satisfying designs for the enormous demand from the manufacturing towns — for house, office and institution [...]

CHAIRS — Windsor and related types
Windsor chairs first appeared at the beginning of the eighteenth century, but the bulk were made in the nineteenth century. These chairs were a cheap, comfortable form of seating made in the country for kitchen,
tavern and general public use.
Tom Crispin, the well-known St. Albans dealer specialising in oak and country [...]

CHAIRS — hall and porters
Though grouped for convenience they are in fact complete opposites. The hall chair offers a rock-like resistance to the posterior and the back no comfort. It is almost as though they were designed to impress on those made to wait, the fact they were being made to do so. They were [...]

CHAIRS — late Victorian reproductions of 17th and 18th century designs
The constant Victorian search for new designs ironically led to a revival of interest in eighteenth century designs. Contrary to popular myth, top quality Victorian craftsmen were just as good as their predecessors but, while they accurately reproduced the details of decoration correctly, they often [...]

CHAIRS — Chippendale, provincial and country
Trying to arrange such a wide array of chairs in quality order is difficult, and dating even more so. Colour is important and personal preference plays a stronger part in assessment than for London-made pieces which
can be judged against known standards. What is technically not very successful (i.e. 152) can [...]

CHAIRS — Chippendale, straight leg
For convenience of comparison, this page discusses only examples with straight legs. Some of Chippendale’s finest examples in fact utilised the cabrioles. Many of the backs are slightly lower and the seats slightly wide on some of the very good examples. The prosperous second half of the eighteenth century saw a [...]

CHAIRS — upholstered, with open arms
A walnut chair with shepherd’s crook arms and cabriole legs of high quality carving incorporating shell motifs; hipped to the decorated seat rail. It has ball-and-claw feet. The termination of the back legs is interestingly designed. 1720-1730
A leather-covered mahogany chair on cabriole legs with four ball-and-claw feet. Scroll and leaf [...]

CHAIRS — upholstered 18th century, evolution of wings
Upholstery, like chairs, came late to the general ruck of people. Important personages, not obliged to sit on benches or stools, doubtless padded their important seats with a variety of coverings. For our purposes the upholstered chair can start in the late seventeenth century and go forward from [...]

CHAIRS — upholstered, without arms
This type of chair enjoyed a long period of popularity. At first the comfort and later the practicality ensured that with period features it continued to be made. The legs provide the clue to date.
Four good square cabrioles, C-scrolls, carved decoration on the knee. Of all these examples this is the [...]

CHAIRS — upholstered, neo-classical
The upholstered square shaped chairs in the earlier sections were peculiarly British. The high sophistication of the French designs towards the end of the eighteenth century were in strong contrast; and the introduction of the neo-classical designs of the Adams brothers; both resulted in demand from the rich for a less ponderous, [...]