Bay Colony Antiques is pleased to offer for sale this striking set of four 19th century High Victorian side chairs, richly detailed in the Gothic and Renaissance Revival taste. We purchased these from a lovely Victorian home in Northwestern Connecticut, and they were most likely made in New York City. These chairs embody the opulence of the period with their ebonized hardwood frames, architectural carvings, and finely turned spindles and legs. This set represents a rare opportunity to acquire a matching set of 4 superior formed Victorian chairs, perfect for collectors of Renaissance Revival and Gothic Revival furniture, decorators seeking dramatic seating, or anyone appreciative of fine 19th century craftsmanship.
The crests have a bold palmette finial with a broken arch pediment form. Directly below the palmette there is an egg & dart carving. The lower portion of the crests have carved curlicues on each side flanked by turned spindles and large urn finials. Below the finials there are carved plaques with a punch carved decoration in the recesses above an Ionic capital. The chair’s stiles are finely turned with multiple ringlets before swelling out towards the bottom followed by a compressed urn turning and a spool turning with quatrefoil type carvings at the bottom. The seats & backs retain their original blue-yellow velvet upholstery which was decorated with appliquéd floral motifs. The upholstery is encompassed by a braided rope trim. While the upholstery certainly shows wear consistent with age, we believe the original fabric adds to their authenticity and period charm. That being said, we wouldn’t feel antipathetic toward someone choosing to reupholster the chairs, as doing so would likely enhance their appearance and value.
The frames remain solid but they do have some carving elements missing which isn’t very noticeable in the grand scheme of the design but we wanted to draw your attention to it as it’s easy to overlook in the photos. The only elements missing are some of the triangular pieces on the crests and the chair on the far left is missing a small section of turning on the inside surface of the front left leg. These chairs would make a wonderful restoration project to somebody with an upholsterer close at hand, or can simply be enjoyed and displayed as-is in their original splendor for their historical character. The chairs measure 18 1/2” wide x 18 1/2” deep x 40 1/4” tall with an 18” seat height.
