Antique English Sheraton Chairs
CHAIRS: SHERATON
About 1780-1810
Designs for chair backs from Thomas Sheraton’s Drawing Book (1792).
Although contemporary with Hepplewhite and sharing many features, antique chairs of Thomas Sheraton (published between 1791 and 1803), exerted a broader and longer-lasting influence. A designer, not a practising cabinet maker, Sheraton illustrated both English and French styles, many of them anticipating the Regency style. Some were highly imaginative and technically ingenious, and probably were never executed.
Lighter designs than Hepplewhite’s; lower, square backs with strong horizontal and vertical emphasis. Typically a narrow cross-rail several inches above seat with an increasingly broad crest rail. Space between filled with delicately carved and moulded vertical or diagonal bars in a variety of geometric, latticework and popular patterns. Fewer curving lines than previously. Sometimes filler design over-rides crest rail in centre (see illus.).
Designs of armchairs were particularly suc-
Pair of Sheraton-style mahogany chairs, about 1790-1800.
Very simple Sheraton-style side-chair, 1800, arm rests sweeping down from a point close to crest rail, either to meet vertical supports set slightly back from seat front, or, continuing into a second curve meeting short supports, or even extensions of front legs.
Side uprights, arms and legs occasionally turned and sometimes fluted (this more common after 1800). Legs end in spade feet.
Seats were drop-in or stuff-over. May be gently curved at back and sides. Canework and squab’cushions on painted and japanned chairs. Not uncommon for these to be over-stuffed at a later date; removal of
upholstery will reveal canework holes in frame. (These may have small panel of canework incorporated in the design of the back.)
Narrow, straight, tapering legs, moulded, reeded or fluted, sometimes with spade feet. With or without stretchers.
Mahogany; satinwood; beech and birch when painted or japanned. Beech and sometimes ash for underframes. Oak, beech, elm and local woods for country versions.
Standard practices employed; crest rail set between uprights, not overriding them.
Delicate, often restrained, low-relief carving on splats. Sometimes fine inlay on crest rails, mostly in form of stringing lines. Painted dec-
oration of flowers.
Polish, paint, japanning.
VALUES
Not dissimilar to Hepplewhite . Even sets of eight seldom more than four figures. The more delicate the design (without losing structural strength), the more desirable will be the chair.
PROVINCIAL AND COUNTRY INTERPRETATIONS
Very plain surfacesof this Sheraton chair is very typical, little or no moulding, carving or turning. Straight tapering legs, usually retaining stretchers. Backs were composed of simple vertical and
horizontal bars.
Tags: Antique, chair backs, CHAIRS, English, french styles, HEPPLEWHITE, mahogany, oval, Regency, several inches, sheraton, Sheraton-style, Thomas Sheraton, upholstery