Seeing Double: A George II Walnut Double Back Settee

We are delighted to share this magnificent George II walnut double back settee.  The back features two vase shaped splats and shepherds crook arms.  The settee stands on a shaped seat frame with three cabriole front legs headed by carved shell and husk decoration, terminating in ball and claw feet, with three splayed rear legs. …

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Opening the Doors of a Walnut Bureau Bookcase

One of the great joys of working with antique furniture is the tangible nature of the pieces in our collection.  Oil paintings, for example, do not invite frequent touching or handling, but furniture is a different matter.  Furniture is meant to be touched, explored, and investigated.  The walnut bureau bookcase we are sharing today is …

Exhibition Spotlight: A George II Walnut Side Chair from the Collections of the Earls of Lonsdale

Today's Great Provenances exhibition spotlight is a very fine George III walnut side chair attributed to Paul Saunders, the sinuous exaggerated serpentine-shaped and pierced back finely carved throughout with acanthus leaves and hare-bells, the upholstered seat with silk damask, above four superb similarly carved cabriole legs each terminating in exaggerated scroll toes in the ‘French’ taste. This …

Exhibition Spotlight: Judge Irwin Untermyer’s Walnut Curule Armchairs

Our Great Provenances exhibition continues through the end of the week, and so will our daily spotlights on individual pieces in the exhibition.  Today we are taking a closer look at a pair of walnut curule form armchairs that were previously in the collection of the esteemed American collector, Judge Irwin Untermyer.  Untermyer famously left his …

The Hampton Court Chairs: An Exceptional Survival of George I Marquetry

We are delighted to share one of our latest acquisitions that is steeped in history.  This superb pair of George I walnut and seaweed marquetry side chairs is attributed to the Royal chairmakers Thomas or Richard Roberts.  Each chair features an arched upholstered and close-nailed back and seat and stands on shaped cabriole legs with square …

Royal Beginnings: A Pair of George II Walnut Stools from the Collection of HRH Prince Frederick Lewis

We appreciate all fine antique furniture, but there is something special about a piece that has a known provenance.  Particularly if that provenance is royal.  We were delighted to acquire an exceptional pair of George II walnut stools from the collection of English royal family.  Each stool is stamped ‘F’ beneath a closed crown (indicating …

Boy oh Boy: Lowboys and Tallboys (and Highboys)

Different types of furniture often have interesting names: Pembroke tables, wake tables, hope chests, Windsor chairs, grandfather clocks... the list goes on.  Today we are looking at two distinctly English forms of furniture: the lowboy and the tallboy. A tallboy is a double chest of drawers, or a wardrobe on a chest of drawers.  (In …

Take a Closer Look: A George II Walnut Gainsborough Chair

We recently did a post highlighting the importance of viewing furniture, and in particular chairs, from different angles.  One of the chairs we focused on was a wonderful George II walnut gainsborough chair attributed to Giles Grendey.  Today we are going to take a closer look at this chair and its stylistic influences and historical …

Upholstered in Textile: Georgian Seating with Needlework

When looking at Georgian furniture it is easy to go straight to the chair frame to look at its patina, carving, and style.  The upholstery on chairs of this date is often replaced, but there are rare occasions when the original textile survives. Today we are focusing on a few pieces from our collection that …