Antiques: Baroco and Empire Furniture, Porcelain, Silver, Candlesticks and candelabra, Clocks and Watches Recently Featured at Antcollectors (4)
Antiques: Baroco and Empire Furniture, Porcelain, Silver, Candlesticks and candelabra, Clocks and Watches Recently Featured at Antcollectors (4)
Windsor Chairs
THE WINDSOR CHAIR is often associated with country timbers and provincial manufacture (particularly around High Wycombe in England). However, its origins were far from provincial. The Duke of Chandos had japanned Windsor chairs in his library at his Middlesex home, Canons, and there were mahogany examples in the library of St. James’ Palace in the early 18th century. However, by the early 19th century, they were restricted to humbler homes or taverns.
Windsor chairs were only ever produced in Britain and North America, but British and American Windsor chairs often display different characteristics. While the seat (generally a saddle type) is central to the construction of both, with the
elements of the back, legs, and arms all mortised into it, they were made in different timbers. In Britain, ash, yew, and fruitwoods were used, with elm for the seat and, occasionally, beech for the turnings. In North America, hickory, chestnut, oak, ash, and
sometimes maple were favoured, with tulip, poplar, and pine for the seats.
There are also some stylistic differences between the two types. For instance, the use of a splat was more typically British, while the low-back Windsor chair was entirely American until the 1840s. Similarly, the Neoclassical Windsor chair, sometimes called an “arrow-back” on account of the spear or arrow shape that constitutes the back sticks, was never produced in Britain.
The top rail is shaped and scroll-carved.
The spindle rails are turned.
Scroll-carved arms continue from a carved tub-shaped back rail.
The legs are
slightly crooked.
The splat is solid and vase-shaped.
CROOKED LEG WINDSOR
This is an early English Windsor chair made of fruitwood, ash, and elm. It has a ram’s horn- and shell-carved top rail that terminates in scrolled ears. The central back rail curves forward to provide the scroll-carved arms, while
the solid, vase-shaped, central splat is flanked by elegant, turned spindle rails. There are three main spindles that continue from the top rail to the seat, and extra spindles in the lower section. The shaped seat is supported on four crooked legs. c.1750.
AMERICAN WRITING-ARM CHAIR
This high-back Windsor chair from Connecticut has an arched top rail, a mid rail with an arm and a writing paddle with drawer, a saddle seat with a drawer beneath, reel-turned legs, and an H-stretcher. 1797.
AMERICAN COMB-BACK CHAIR
This chair, from Philadelphia, has a serpentine top rail with scrolled ear terminals, a yoked mid rail with scrolled knuckle-arm terminals, a saddle seat, outsplayed legs, and an H-
stretcher.
GEORGIAN WINDSORS
Each of these yew armchairs has a hoop back and arms with a Gothic pierced splat and spars. The elm saddle seats are supported on cabriole legs terminating in pad feet and joined by hoop stretchers. 1750-70.
FAN-BACK WINDSORS
Each of this pair of English elm, walnut, and fruitwood fan-back Windsor armchairs has a shaped seat supported on turned legs joined by an H-stretcher. The chairs bear traces of their original paint finish. c.1770.
WINDSOR SETTEES
DESIGNED VIRTUALLY AS AN ELONGATED CHAIR, THIS TYPE OF SETTEE
WAS ONLY PRODUCED IN BRITAIN AND NORTH AMERICA.
There is little agreement on the differences between a settee and a sofa and indeed the preferred term seems to be largely dictated by current fashion. However, “settee” generally designates a particular type of furniture made in the late 18th and early 19th century that was much more closely related to chair, rather than sofa, design.
Often conceived as a chair extended to seat two or more people, its origins lie in the chair-back settee of the mid 18th century and the settle. Consequently, it might have a caned seat and back, or a
pierced back with splats, just like a chair, rather than the complete upholstery of a sofa. The Cape rusbank was a simplified variation of this type of furniture.
Windsor settees are peculiar to Britain and North America. They are constructed in the same way as Windsor chairs, with a wooden seat into which the back, arms, and legs are mortised. The backs are either of a continuous form, running into the arms with vertical splats, or take the form of a series of chair backs.
An English Regency settee This beech piece was overpainted in verdigris and gilt. The back of the settee has four lattice backs with musical trophy panels below an outscrolled top rail and down-scrolled arms. The caned seat is supported on turned front legs with brass caps and casters. Early 19th century.
A Philadelphia bow-back Windsor settee This black- and gold-painted settee has bamboo turnings. There are 29 spindles below the curved top rail and the downswept arms are on modified
S-curved supports. The seat is supported on bamboo turned legs joined by swelling H-stretchers.
An American arrowback, painted Windsor settee This has a flat top rail and scrolling arms set above a planked seat. It has turned legs and turned panel stretchers. Early 19th century.
PHILADELPHIA WINDSOR
This Windsor armchair has a top rail with a butterfly and seven spindles with bamboo turnings above a shaped seat.
AMERICAN BOW-BACK WINDSOR
This mahogany and painted armchair has an arched, moulded top rail, nine flaring spindles, down-curved arms over raked bamboo supports, a squared, shield-form seat, and raked bamboo
AMERICAN WINDSOR SIDE CHAIR
This side chair has a bow-shaped back with nine spindles above a saddle seat. The seat is supported on splayed legs with bamboo turnings and is joined by an H-stretcher.
GOTHIC WINDSOR CHAIR
Made from ash and elm, this chair has a lancet-shaped back with pierced splats. The chair seat is shaped and supported on cabriole legs with a hooped stretcher. One of a set of four.