Bay Colony Antiques is pleased to offer for sale this wonderful 18th century Antique Queen Anne Mahogany side chair with carved ball & claw feet. Carved ball and claw feet are mainly associated with Chippendale furniture but started gaining popularity during the Queen Anne period. The cabriolet legs were reinforced with custom built curved iron brackets which can be seen in our photo showing the underside of the chair. The brackets were a peculiar and overwrought way of coupling the returns and strengthening the repairs to the legs. Ultimately they did their job though, and the front facing knee blocks are still attached and present. We try to be as discriminatory as possible in regard to condition & repairs, but sometimes we feel like our own worst enemy as we pass up on a ton of great period furniture. While the chair bears a few marks of time, with some frayed fibers on the seat, a missing knee block on the proper left leg, and some old repairs to the front legs, its enduring charm remains intact. It’s important to remember that the chair is 250+ years old and it being in this good condition in its third century of use is remarkable in of itself. The ball & claw feet are finely carved and convey a powerful grip on the ball with a tightly drawn tarsus above the talons. The chair measures 21 1/2” wide x 20” deep x 39 3/4” tall with an 18” seat height.
