Pair of Early Victorian Chairs - with original maker s labe
Pair of Early Victorian Chairs - with original maker s labels - GBP425
(This is more information than is normally given in these ads, but my partner -- who wrote it -- has done a lot of research on these particular chairs, so it might all be of interest to someone.)
Elegant matching pair of Victorian mahogany parlour chairs with plush stuff-over seats and buttoned backs, recently re-upholstered with high-end flatweave in a repeating black & antique gold tudor rose-type pattern, and trimmed with gold flat-braid.
Extremely well-made pieces with lots of character, in excellent condition -- substantial, elegant and graceful-looking -- with only minor marking & scuffing, to be expected in furniture of their age, though the frame on the back of one of the chairs is slightly duller than the other, probably due to poor storage sometime in the past. This is only noticeable on close inspection, and the (moulded) show-wood in every other regard is gleaming, with a rich patina that rivals the plush upholstery in quality.
The chair-frames are robust & structurally very strong -- well able to take normal daily usage & not just for show. The sides of the back rests are straight, rising to curve inward from their upper corners, each with a small central peaked crest. These crests are balanced by a simple moulded medallion set at the middle-front of each back rail; one of the medallions is missing its lower inset lip, but one has to look very closely to discover this (really needing to kneel & look up from below to notice that a small piece of moulding has been lost). The chairs have outward curving rear legs, and straight front legs which are beautifully ring-turned & reeded, gently tapering from top to bottom and ending in castors which look to be original to the feet. The generally robust plainness of the backs' show-wood and the purity of the elegant straight lines is reminiscent of the late Regency through William IV, as is the bold carving to the sturdy front legs. This design, along with clues in the maker's label under each seat, places the chairs very early during the Victorian period -- probably sometime during the 1840s, though I'd be very happy & grateful to hear from anyone with more knowledge who could confirm or correct this.
I've included a photo of one of the labels, which read "From Wm. Johnson & Son, Cabinet Makers, Upholsterers, and General Furnishers. 82 & 84, Fargate ,Sheffield." I've tried to google the company, and found William Johnson listed at 34 Fargate in Pigot's 1834 Directory of Trades & Professions under Cabinet Makers & Upholsterers in Sheffield; in the 1852 Directory of the Borough and Parish of Sheffield he's again listed as a cabinet maker & upholsterer, with the firm Johnson and Allatt based at 82 Fargate. The webpage "Materialising the domestic interior. Sheffield's nineteenth-century furniture industry" ( http://www.hrionline.ac.uk/matshef/banham/MSbanham.htm) includes a reprinted advertisement for Johnson & Allatt from White's Directory of Sheffield, 1852; it also states that Johnson & Appleyards became one of the largest furniture makers in England during the last quarter of the 19thc -- I assume this is an expansion of the same company, but don't know for certain.
Approximate measurements: Full Height 33.5” / cm; Seat 18” / cm above feet x 17” / cm deep x 21.5“ / cm across at front & 13.5” / cm across at back.
Viewing is welcomed, to make sure you're happy with the item.
Contact Info: Ken 020 8473 2097