Antique Chairs

French Chairs

To illustrate, let us first consider the subject of French chairs, a large majority of which fall promptly into the pretty but useless class. They were used to some extent in this country in George Washington's day, but the pieces which have come down to us in their original form are for the most part in a frightful condition of dilapidation, with the legs and arms wabbly, the gilt knocked off, and the upholstery in tatters. Even those that are in good condition are out of place in any but the most pretentious drawing-rooms. They are fragile, and although the backs generally slant away from the perpendicular, they are not comfortable.

Among the early Louis XIV chairs there were some fairly comfortable armchairs upholstered in tapestry. In those dating from 1700 to 1715, how-ever, comfort has given way to style, and rococo ornament has taken the place of good construction.

Some of the Louis XV upholstered chairs are not bad (1715-1774), but they are mostly gilt or painted affairs of fragile stiffness, though often of much beauty in the carving. Here we find luxury without comfort or solidity.

In the Louis XVI period (1774-1793) there was less ornament and greater delicacy and simplicity, though detail was never lacking. The chairs of that period are more useful and more tastefully beautiful. Much of the upholstered furniture of the period is fairly comfortable, especially the armchairs, but its appearance is generally stiff and weak, and it has not stood the test of time particularly well. For sitting purposes one naturally passes by these French chairs when there is anything else in the room.

There are old Spanish, Flemish, and Italian chairs of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries-chiefly carved walnut-that are both solid and beautiful, but they seldom come within the range of the average collector. For honesty of workmanship, and beauty combined with utility, the English chairs are not surpassed, and as these are far more numerous in this country than any others, it is with these that I shall chiefly deal.

During the last half of the sixteenth century a turned-wood chair was in vogue, with a flat wooden seat. This style was Byzantine in origin, and was first introduced into Scandinavia, and from there brought into England by the Normans. This style disappeared about i 600, and turned work did not appear again until the time of Charles I. It then persisted for two centuries or more, to a greater or less degree, in the more modest types.

The year 1600 may be taken as a starting-point for the study of English chairs. The early Elizabethan chair was square, ugly, and uncomfortable, but interesting in the development of style. It was all of wood, and rather crude in workmanship.

Then there was the wainscot chair, truly Jacobean in type. This was made of hard wood-usually oak -seat and all. It was very heavy, with heavy underbracing near the floor. It may be interesting to note that as time went on the underbracing became generally lighter and lighter, until in Georgian days we find it frequently dispensed with altogether. The underbracing, therefore, is a more or less reliable indication of age. The wainscot chair had arms and high back, usually carved, and sometimes matching the wainscoting of the room. The vertical back made it possible to place the chair flat against the wall.

These chairs are very rare, but if found they are very decorative and frequently useful in modern halls. They are rather comfortless, but cushions were formerly used in them sometimes, and there is no reason for not using them now.

Somewhat later came the so-called Cromwellian chair, built on similar lines, but not quite so heavy. Instead of the solid wooden back there was a half back, usually upholstered in leather. The seat was also of leather. These chairs are far less decorative than the wainscot chairs. They always had turned legs and stretches, of the style shown in the illustration.

With the restoration of Charles II to the throne of England in 1660, there came greater luxury and comfort into English homes, and a new style in furniture, due perhaps to the king's sojourn on the Continent, and to the influence of his wife, Catherine of Portugal, for in those days royalty's right to set the fashion was unquestioned.

The chairs of this period, up to the close of the century, are sometimes called Jacobean, but Stuart or Restoration is a more accurate term, for the Jacobean period, strictly speaking, came to an end with the death of Charles I in 1649. It is also called by some the walnut period.