Chippendale Mahogany Armchair - A Chippendale ‘Ribbon’ Back Chair - Walnut pre-Chippendale Chair

Walnut pre-Chippendale chair of c. 1740-50. Cabriole legs with scroll and leaf on knee, ending in pad feet. Top rail and upright meet in elegant scroll. Pierced splat designed to give four tapering uprights. Drop-in seat.
A chair of some quality even if possibly provincially made.
Note the outward sweep of back legs, terminating in knobs to balance front pad feet.
Another walnut pre- Chippendale chair with simple rbut similar back splat design. The square legs and stretchers suggest a later date -possibly 1750 - 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.
An interesting chair of c. 1755 in mahogany, the kneed legs showing the country type transition to square straight legs from cabrioles. The scrolled carving of the splat is elegantlydone yet the chair retains the essential sturdiness of the period. The proportion is good and the back legs sweep boldlyback in the manner of earlier chairs.
Chippendale mahogany armchair of considerable quality. Cabriole legs, decorated with shell and scroll pattern carving on the knee, terminating in excellent ball-and-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 3rd, edition when a plate of hall chairs shows the ball and claw foot, which was undoubtedly popular at this period.
Warning: Many high quality Victorian reproductions exist of this type of chair. These reproductions have a value of $25-$35 each.
Chippendale mahogany armchair again of considerable quality particularly in the carving of the centre splat and top rail. The straight front legs are reeded, as are the curving uprights. There is less sweep to the arms
and the plainer treatment of the legs reduces the value from the previous example. The boldness and width of the chair are particularly to be noted in that 19th century copies tend to be meaner in proportion. The
craftsmanship in the carving of the back splat is of a high order.
A single mahogany Chippendale chair 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 18th century seats.
Chippendale mahogany chair in the Gothic style c. 1760. 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 rich, execution.
(Gothic and Chinese Chippendale chairs of high quality are much sought after).
Quality of design, proportion and carving
A mahogany Chippendale chair 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.
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.