John Sandon
Consultant
Lot 41TP
An interesting Charles II joined oak panel-back open armchair, South-West Yorkshire/East Lancashire, probably Burnley area, circa 1680
31 January 2019, 11:00 GMT
London, New Bond StreetSold for £6,000 inc. premium
Looking for a similar item?
Our specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialistAsk about this lot
An interesting Charles II joined oak panel-back open armchair, South-West Yorkshire/East Lancashire, probably Burnley area, circa 1680
The bold cresting deeply carved with floral motifs and a chip-carved double-scroll edging, above a symmetrical floral-carved back panel, within tight-scroll and cross-hatched carved back uprights and lower rail, scrolled serpent ear-pieces, and down-swept arms with punched-decorated upper edge, on baluster-turned front supports, the boarded seat with chip-carved ends, the seat rails carved with lunettes, the front legs baluster-turned and joined by plain stretchers all round, turned front feet, 62.5cm wide x 54cm deep x 123cm high, (24 1/2in wide x 21in deep x 48in high)
Footnotes
This chair is one of a select group which demonstrate many Yorkshire regional design features in terms of form, detail and construction, but predominantly exhibit distinctive linear carving, which is generally attributed to Burnley, Lancashire. Three related chairs are illustrated in Victor Chinnery, Oak Furniture: The British Tradition (2016), p. 433, figs. 4:128, 129 & 129a. A fourth, in the collection of Sir George Thursby, Ormerod House, Burnley, is illustrated M. Harris & Sons, The English Chair (1948), p.78, pl. VIII. See also David Knell, English Country Furniture 1500-1900 (2000), p. 323, colour plate 75.
A pair of chairs in the collection at Rufford Old Hall, Lancashire, are virtually identical to this lot, with one main exception. Namely, the lower back rail to each chair is carved with the date '1689', along with the initials 'E O' to one [NT 783878], and 'M O' to the other [NT 783879]. The two sets of initials, along with a date, imply that the chairs were made to commemorate a marriage. The chair initialled 'E O' was exhibited 'Oak Furniture from Lancashire and Lake District', Stable Court Exhibition Galleries, Temple Newsam, Leeds, 26 September - 27th October 1973, [no. 24].