A Comfortable Early 20thC Oak, Leather & Corduroy Upholstered & Studded Sofa c.1915

SOLD
Origin: English
Period: Early Twentieth Century
Provenance: Unknown
Date: c.1910-20
Height: 29 inches
Width: 66.5 inches
Depth: 34.5 inches (all at extremities)

The tapered, shaped and enclosed low backed early twentieth century quality leather and close brass studwork upholstered sofa, in the knole style, having wonderful coloured cigar coloured leather, the whole of deep and roomy proportions with ring turned oak front and side rails, on a beech frame and all feather drop in cushions with newly upholstered cacao corduroy, with three scatter cushions upholstered in the same but with tartan to one side, the sofa surviving from the first quarter of the twentieth century.

The sofa is in super condition and is ready to use. The leather to the whole is of good quality and is part worn, but appealingly so, now wonderfully supple and of a superior colour. There are only two or three areas of patchy heavier wear and crucially no tears or rips at all throughout which is rare for a sofa of this age. The sofa has had a new base fitted with all new feather down cushions and scatters and proves very comfortable as such. The oak is in good order with good patina and no evidence of worm.

This sofa could be grouped with that of ‘club’ furniture from the early twentieth century. The word "club" in club chair harks back to the gentlemen's clubs in nineteenth century England where a gentleman could go to get away from his household (including womenfolk). Once there, he would sink into a well-upholstered leather chair and relax with a drink and perhaps a cigar. The names of the fashionable London streets full of such clubs are still used to name classic club chairs : St. James, Piccadilly and so on. A dictionary definition of a club chair or sofa is "A heavily upholstered piece of furniture with arms and a low back". We haven’t seen another sofa of this shape and proportions, with the most similar being chinoiserie decorated bergere examples from the same period.

Of an unusual, rare and desirable shape, and in super condition, this proves simply sumptuous.
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