Antique Chair in Oak - A Charles II  c.1675  oak chair - Late Seventeenth Century Country Walnut Chair

Mid-seventeenth century chair in oak, with elaborately carved back, c.1650.
The earlier seventeenth century forms of chair were not dissimilar from this, with the exception of the elaborate winged scrolls on the uprights. Earlier chairs tended to be simpler, with square backs and the decorative areas were less profusely carved. Later in the century the carving exhibited a variety of motives. Note the heavy construction, with column turned legs and square stretchers. Simpler chairs have `scratchings’ in diamond or other shapes in place of the carvings. Large quantities of these chairs were made, often with dates and initials of owners. Some are decorated with inlays of box, holly (white), and ebony (black) in geometrical and floral designs. Country makers continued to produce them until the early eighteenth century.
Price Range: Very wide and geared to quality of inlay and carving. Prices of $100  $150 relate to highly carved versions; simple ones with scratch decoration are to be found at Victorian ‘improvers’ tended to add initials, dates and carving to simple chairs.
Mid-seventeenth century chair in oak, c.1650. Note the diamond-shaped scratch decoration in the panelled back and solid pegged seat. The front legs are turned in rather bulbous baluster fashion, but the joints remain square, and the pegs in the floor-level square section stretcher tenon joints can be seen. The seat is very worn but the remains of the moulded edge can be seen along the rear left-hand side. The front rail is carved in the same decorative manner as the back and shaped on the lower edge; again the pegged tenon joints are evident.
Price Range: Not at present a popular taste. Single chair $35  $45. Value points: Quality of turning and carving…
An oak ‘Derbyshire chair’ of c.1650, showing the arcaded back and split baluster decoration on the uprights. Note that the seat is inset or dished to allow for a cushion.
Value points: Quality of carving and turning
N.B. The chair in the illustration is a reproduction.
Cromwellian oak chair, c.1660, of country construction. Note the square outline and the retention of the floor level square stretchers. The back is straight and the turning simple.
A mid-seventeenth century country oak chair, c.1650, of pleasing simplicity and robust construction. The legs are still column turned as in our previous example and left square at the joints for the tenons, which were pegged. The back is panelled and without decoration. Not a popular collector’s chair at present but still well within reach of the modest pocket.
Cromwellian chair, c.1660, demonstrating movement towards lighter design still based on turning. The twist turning was popular in the period and the piece is made of walnut, a wood much more commonly used in the
seventeenth century than is generally supposed. The chair is covered with leather fixed to the frame with heavy nails. Not a chair commonly found in antique shops; it is of a specialist collector’s taste. Bobbin turning rather than twist is often found and beech as well as oak or walnut was used.
A Charles II  c.1675  oak chair of radical development. The design is of Continental influence and more continuous. Apart from being carved the design of the scroll both on legs, front stretcher and back, serves to obscure rather than emphasize the method of construction. Cane backs were introduced around 1665 and help to lighten the overall appearance. Twist turning is still evident as well as the square back leg and stretcher joints.
Value points: Walnut, Carving, particularly of front stretcher which can be very ornate
Simple oak chair of Charles II period, c.1675, with cane back. The front stretcher is simply turned and the seat has been upholstered, perhaps later. The quality is indicated by the fine sweep of the arms and the
execution of the carved top cresting rail.
Late seventeenth century country walnut chair, c.1680. Note the high back. Rather than incur the expense of the cane back of the town example the country craftsmen used vertical solid bars. The stretchers still follow
earlier designs with simple turning and square sections at the tenon joints. The uprights are turned.
A late seventeenth century chair of c.1695 in walnut, with velvet upholstery. The cross stretcher was a feature of the decade 1685 - 1695 and in this case it is moulded. The carved legs show a development of the
inverted cup form of Dutch origin: here it is scrolled and the square joints of these front legs are also decorated. This scrolling was of French stylistic influence.
Value points: Quality of leg and stretcher carving
Original upholstery