A Mahogany Sheraton Style Single Chair - Country Sheraton Design Armchair  -  Chair of the Early Regency Period

A Sheraton design chair of considerable workmanship. Many such chairs are to be found painted in white and gilt or otherwise having painted decoration on birch or beech wood. In the main the painted versions are
more highly sought after than the mahogany ones, which makes for higher prices. Note the turned and fluted legs. The arm uprights have spiral reeding.
A Sheraton design arm and single chair in mahogany. The uprights and arms are reeded, which lightens the square solidarity of design. Note the vase shaped turned arm supports and the way in which the broad top
rail is panelled. The legs and back uprights are reeded; this effect is also carried round the panel in the wider top back rail.
A simpler Sheraton design with tapering legs normally made in mahogany. The arm uprights are of straightforward turning without the spiral reeding which adds greatly to price. An elegant and simple style which remained popular for many years.
Late 18th century arm and single chairs. Note the broad top rail in the back, the panel veneered in figured mahogany. The spiral twist middle rail is a feature of quality particularly important in value assessment of these chairs. The legs are turned, without any fluting. The arms of the elbow chair sweep forward and curve down to meet the line of the front legs. The proportion of these admirable smaller dining chairs makes them
extremely popular in the modern home,
Another late Georgian c. 1810 mahogany armchair, something of a combination of Sheraton and prevailing styles. The wide top back rail is veneered with a panel of figured mahogany and the centre rail is elegantly
reeded. The turning of the front legs and the arm supports, with the popular vase shape, is lightly and gracefully done. Occasionally brass stringing will be found around the inlaid back panel, which adds to the
decorative value.
A mahogany Sheraton style single chair with Gothic arching in the design of the back. The legs are tapered on the inside edge only and are reeded, as is the back. An elegant and simple chair.
A mahogany armchair of the late 18th century. An excellent example of a good quality chair, as evidenced in the reeding and lightness of design of the back. The turned legs are a little clumsier and have hints of later
things to come.
Country Sheraton design armchair in mahogany with bowed solid seat. A satisfying and simple country design of which many were made to meet the popular demand caused by the town versions.
A simpler Sheraton design with tapering legs normally made in mahogany. The arm uprights are of straightforward turning without the spiral reeding which adds greatly to price. An elegant and simple style which remained popular for many years.
Late 18th century arm and single chairs. Note the broad top rail in the back, the panel veneered in figured mahogany. The spiral twist middle rail is a feature of quality particularly important in value assessment of these chairs. The legs are turned, without any fluting. The arms of the elbow chair sweep forward and curve down to meet the line of the front legs. The proportion of these admirable smaller dining chairs makes them
extremely popular in the modern home.
Another late Georgian c. 1810 mahogany armchair, something of a combination of Sheraton and prevailing styles. The wide top back rail is veneered with a panel of figured mahogany and the centre rail is elegantly
reeded. The turning of the front legs and the arm supports, with the popular vase shape, is lightly and gracefully done. Occasionally brass stringing will be found around the inlaid back panel, which adds to the
decorative value.
Proportion and design  Figure of wood and inlays
A country Sheraton single chair in mahogany with straight legs and solid seat. The square back with vertical rails owes much to the popularity of Sheraton styles, otherwise the design comes from a straightforward 18th century construction.
A rather heavier Sheraton style mahogany country chair with drop-in seat. The broad top rail of the back has been made slightly wider than the back uprights which detracts slightly from the elegance of the style.
Otherwise the construction and tapering legs are typical.
An elegant chair of the early Regency period, with caned back and seat. The outward turn of the simulated bamboo legs is most effective and the balance is completed by the curved top rail. The seat rail and the top
rail are inlaid with stringing in the approved classical manner. Many of these chairs were made of birch or beech and then ebonised or painted. They are almost inevitably very expensive.
Lightness and elegance of design

Country Chair of c. 1800 -  Regency Chair - A Regency Period Library Chair - A Gillows Chair - Balloon-Back Victorian Chair in Walnut

A very simplified country chair of c. 1800. The design owes something to Sheraton in the tapering front legs and squared style of the back. The two horizontal rails are very plain and more ornamented versions are to be found. The solid bowed seat is made of elm and the rest of the chair is fruitwood.
Late 18th/Early 19th century oak spindle-back chairs, sometimes called ‘Lancashire’ chairs. They are rush-seated and are sometimes made of elm.
Another very elegant Regency chair with rope twist motif on the back and sabre legs. The caned seat again adds to the overall lightness of design.
A Regency arm and single chair similar to the previous example in ropetwist designbut withdrop inseats insteadof cane. Thepanelbetween the horizontal rails in the back is inlaid with brass.
A similar pair of Regency chairs with reeding continuous down back uprights, sides and sabre legs. The carved decoration is simple and elegant.
A Regency period library chair which converts into a set of steps. These chairs usually attracted a high degree of craftsmanship and are normally in either mahogany or rosewood. The arms and sabre front legs exhibit typical Regency characteristics although there is a hint of William IV in the broad carved top back rail.
Rather a hybrid piece of furniture which was either little made originally or subject to demolition from heavy bibliophiles. Either. way, now becoming rarer and more expensive.
A mahogany Regency chair with lyre motif in the back. The curved side rails and sabre legs are reeded to give a continuous effect. The drop-in seat is located by a peg set in the top of the front rail. As with all sabre-leg chairs the front legs should be examined carefully to seewhether the top has beendamaged; the constructionof a sabre leg necessitates cutting across the grain of the wood thereby reducing the strength of the timber.
It is a sign of quality if there are none of these repairs.
For some reason the lyre causes a rush of blood to the head in chair purchasers; look for inflated values accordingly.
A typical Regency mahogany sabre-leg chair of pleasing proportion and design. Elegant and small, yet comfortable, this type of chair has become understandably very popular since the war of 1939-45. They are also to be found in rosewood, an even heavier and more durable wood which increases their value.
A late Regency or William IV period chair made of mahogany. In the heavy curl of the arms and the fluted front legs the approach of the Victorian era is foretold. The bold, wide, outward-pointing top rail is typical of the 1830-40 decade. Look out for conversion front legs i. e. the original turned and fluted ones are sometimes removed ana replaced by sabre legs to increase value.
Typical late Regency-cum-William IV rosewood single chair. The front legs are octagonal in section and the design has become heavier. The drop-in seat is still light in character however and the classical influence still evident.
A Gillows chair of 1841 made for Colonel Cradock. The back shows a stage in design which precedes the balloon back, while the heavily turned and reeled legs of the period have been replaced by finely made and
decorated cabriole legs. The seat rail has moved away from the Straight Regency design, and the total appearance is much lighter than the sub-classical designs of the 1820-40’s. The top rail is undecided as to whether it is to follow the downward curve of the preceding example or to strike out into the new balloon shape. The French influence is also evident in the decorative effects.
Another mid-Victorian chair with cabriole legs and needlework back and seat. The legs are more slenderly treated, with less curvature and the scrolled knobs at the feet are less accentuated.
A country mahogany chair of the 1820-40 period. The Regency influence is evident in the arms, but the broad top rail belongs to the later part of the period.
Balloon-back Victorian chair in walnut. The cabriole legs, despite a tendency towards bandyness, mark the distinct move away from the heavy turned legs of the previous years. The nicely proportioned curve of the seat rail between the legs helps to accentuate the change to a flowing, curved effect. These chairs were evidently very popular and were made for a number of years - perhaps up to the 1860’s and in a modified form throughout the rest of the period.
Early Victorian (1839) Gillows chair with turned and fluted front legs. The downward curve of the thick top rail, which is carved, helps to produce a more integrated design. It is a sitting room chair with padded back to give additional comfort.

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.

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 as well as tavern. As the price of poorly made modern chairs continues to rise, so more and more people see the sense in buying chairs of age and character. Prices have therefore shot up over the last few years. This is an area of British furniture where much research is still to be done.
A type known to have been made round Oxford in the mid-nineteenth century. This example in yew wood with the usual elm seat, solidly made (the circle portion is an inch thick), is of very similar design to one drawn by Sheraton, only with the circle enlarged. Yew, of course, increases the price. c. 1850
A typical ‘kitchen’ armchair of the mid- to late-nineteenth century on turned legs, used in institutions and offices as well as homes. Usually made in birch or beech, with an elm seat and stained dark. When stripped,
often a pleasant golden brown colour. Judging by the extreme difficulty of matching up sets — the turning on the back is nearly always different — they were made over a wide area.
Mid- to late 19th century
A Mendlesham chair from the village of that name in Suffolk where the Days, father and son, worked. A superbly designed and executed example in fruitwood. The influence of Sheraton designs is strong.
Early 19th century
A typical ‘kitchen’ or institutional chair with pleasantly Gothic arched and spindled decoration in the back. Shown in several manufacturers’ catalogues and a very similar design shown by W. Smee in 1850. Made of
beech with an elm seat.
c. 1850s    A pleasant nineteenth century kitchen chair of the ‘Roman spindles’ type with robust uprights and bold turning. The half-round cuts in the underside of the top rail help to lighten the appearance. Badly
undervalued. Similar to a Worksop design.
Mid-19th century
A variant, but lacking the balance of the previous example. The debased Windsor splat seems upside-down and sagging. Not a wild success. 1880s
Another country variant which frequently turns up in East Anglia. Sheraton design is apparent.
Early 19th century
A deceptively simple little chair. It has a well dished seat and a charming horizontal splat which looks as though it should be turned and dropped slightly in this example. A good colour would make a set very desirable. 1840-1860
The ‘blade’ back has overtones of 249 but this chair is really a slightly more ornate version of 253
Early 19th century
An even more simple design. Nevertheless, there is a reeding line along the back and uprights and the seat is nicely curved.