An 18thC Primitive Oak & Iron Comb-Back Windsor Armchair c.1780
SOLD
Origin: English
Period: George III
Provenance: Unknown
Date: c.1780
Height: 34” or 14” at seat
Width: 21”
Depth: 16”
In utterly charming condition, the primitive late eighteenth century comb back provincially made Windsor armchair in oak, with remnants of black and red paint, having an iron spindled comb back with plain top rail, the back of four spindles with thirteen spindles to the lower section, the thick slab seat with canted corners on block legs joined by stretchers, surviving from George III Suffolk, England.
In lovely crusty condition, the chair is structurally sound, with expected wear commensurate with age. She has wonderfully primitive repairs and has been cut down with the unifying stretchers lacking whilst the slab seat is particularly thick. The red paint now only remains to around 5-10% of the chair and has wear associated with heavy use, she has been well loved, and this wear is found most worn in the right areas, to the seat top, the curved back rail and the arms. There are crude but charming repairs to the feet as photographed. The paint finish survives most in-tact on the comb spindles, top rail, legs and stretchers. This kind of wear and patination just can’t be cloned or faked and is suitably suggestive of its honest life thus far.
The Windsor chair is recognised as one of the classics of English country furniture. While it is thought that the name of the English Windsor chair derives from its creation in the Windsor area, the High Wycombe area is well known as a key part of the country where these chairs were made. The most famous of them all is the armchair design. This has a single piece of wood curved round the chair to form the arms and the back. Windsor chairs were made in a wide range of styles and there are distinct regional variations from all over Britain and the USA where the form was equally popular. Period Windsor chairs, when they were new, were painted and they were frequently made from different types of wood and thus the paint tied the pieces together.
This example could be described as a ‘heavy rail’ type. Windsor chairs derive one of their merits from their easy portability. This Windsor shows its English origin by the fact that there are few turnings to the legs and stretchers and the arm supports are curved not straight and turned like an American equivalent would be.
A wonky, brilliant piece, now more of a sculpture, and with an abundance of originality and charm.
Period: George III
Provenance: Unknown
Date: c.1780
Height: 34” or 14” at seat
Width: 21”
Depth: 16”
In utterly charming condition, the primitive late eighteenth century comb back provincially made Windsor armchair in oak, with remnants of black and red paint, having an iron spindled comb back with plain top rail, the back of four spindles with thirteen spindles to the lower section, the thick slab seat with canted corners on block legs joined by stretchers, surviving from George III Suffolk, England.
In lovely crusty condition, the chair is structurally sound, with expected wear commensurate with age. She has wonderfully primitive repairs and has been cut down with the unifying stretchers lacking whilst the slab seat is particularly thick. The red paint now only remains to around 5-10% of the chair and has wear associated with heavy use, she has been well loved, and this wear is found most worn in the right areas, to the seat top, the curved back rail and the arms. There are crude but charming repairs to the feet as photographed. The paint finish survives most in-tact on the comb spindles, top rail, legs and stretchers. This kind of wear and patination just can’t be cloned or faked and is suitably suggestive of its honest life thus far.
The Windsor chair is recognised as one of the classics of English country furniture. While it is thought that the name of the English Windsor chair derives from its creation in the Windsor area, the High Wycombe area is well known as a key part of the country where these chairs were made. The most famous of them all is the armchair design. This has a single piece of wood curved round the chair to form the arms and the back. Windsor chairs were made in a wide range of styles and there are distinct regional variations from all over Britain and the USA where the form was equally popular. Period Windsor chairs, when they were new, were painted and they were frequently made from different types of wood and thus the paint tied the pieces together.
This example could be described as a ‘heavy rail’ type. Windsor chairs derive one of their merits from their easy portability. This Windsor shows its English origin by the fact that there are few turnings to the legs and stretchers and the arm supports are curved not straight and turned like an American equivalent would be.
A wonky, brilliant piece, now more of a sculpture, and with an abundance of originality and charm.
