Antique Side Chairs
A 19th century Swiss carved Black Forest side chair
A 19th century Swiss carved Black Forest side ... Find out more
An antique set of 12 Queen Anne dining chairs
An antique set of 12 English Queen Anne dining chairs in burr walnut, comprising of 10 side chairs and 2 armchairs. The chairs are an excellent color and have very generous ... Find out more
A Good Set of 8 English Antique 19th C Mahogany Dining Chairs
The bar back is flanked by shaped supports with beneath it a carved rope twist support. The back legs are of a saber design, the front legs are of a turned and ring design. The chair back is finely inlaid with brass in the form of a shell design. ... Find out more
A Good Set of 14 English 19th Century Dining Chairs in Walnut
12 Side and 2 Armchairs. The chairs stand on turned and fluted legs, the front legs finely carved with naturalistic details. ... Find out more
An important set of 4 English Regency Period Arm Chairs in Rosewood attributed to Gillows
This fine set of chairs was originally made by Gillows for Nidd Hall in Yorkshire, England. Circa 1820
The shaped back of the chairs flows into the arm of the chairs which have a shepherd crook design and terminate with a carved eagles head. The ellipse shaped seat is supported by superbly carved front legs, which stand on a ball by means of carved eagle talons. A sketch of a similar chair is to be found in the Gillows archives.
The name 'Gillow' has been associated with the craft of furniture making ... Find out more
An overview of antique chairs and sofas
Antique seating can be split into several areas the first would be chairs. Chairs are probably the most common of all antiques, it would be rare to visit a home that has no chairs. Chairs come in many styles, a pair of wing back chairs, a library chair, a set of dining chairs, a desk or office chair, and piano chairs. All of which were made in a great variety of woods, but more often than not all were made in hardwoods be it oak, mahogany, rosewood, or walnut. The main reason of course for using a hardwood was that the chair was more durable when made in a hardwood, a pine chair would be easy to carve, but would not last very long- especially where the joints in the wood occured.
The majority of these type of chairs were all also made in the more popular design periods of Georgian, Regency, William IV, and Victorian periods. It is interesting to follow the design variations of antique chairs through the 18th and 19th centuries, from elaborately carved Chippendale dining chairs with pierced splat backs and magnificently carved knees terminating in ball and claw feet to a very simple Queen Anne chair with a scroll at the top rail, a solid but shaped back splat and elegant cabriole legs terminating in a simple pad foot. Chair designs mostly show variation through the shape and curve of the arms, legs and back, the shape of the foot (ball and claw, scroll, pad, square, etc.), and the carving on the knees of the legs and the front and top rails.
When you add arms to any of the above you end up of course with an arm chair, stretch it out and you have an antique bench or antique sofa.
The modern day home would certainly be a bare place without its chairs. How could one eat at the antique dining table without a set of antique dining chairs? How would the fireplace look without a pair of antique chairs to relax on? And how could I write this without a desk chair to sit on?
The simple chair covers a wide variety of shapes and sizes and vice versa!!!