Posted 10 years ago
MrsGraham
(21 items)
My grandfather bought a building in Chicago ages ago , long before I was a thought..... and this chair came along with the contents. We don't know anything about makers or origin or even what to call it except that it is amazing! Superb carving all over both of the 2 parts, 6 legs on the round base, round seat swivels on inlaid rollers. The seat leather has been replaced about 50 years ago with something very similar to what was originally there. Too cool!
If anyone knows more I'd love to learn.
Very unique piece ! I am sure there are some good people on helping with your chair when they come online . It is a bit scary with that face on top :-) I might not sit in it myself but it is cool for right decor .
Hi Manikin, thanks! Hopefully someone will know more about this and be able to educate me. I've wondered for years and only just found the site today.
Any furniture people out there who can give me some insight on my chair please? What do I even call it when trying to research more? Thanks!
I've done inset & relief work & by the pics, this was not worked down & then built up for the reliefs. If this is as appears, I'm super impressed & you should be too as it is a true work of art. Not carpentry, but a work of dedicated art. Of course it would have to be examined closely & personally but I would guess it is worth a lot. Just hardly see this kind of work, even in the past hardly. I just wish I had the patience, skill & motivation to do something like that! Lucky you!
It's got a heavy European feel to it. Kindof Gothicy, hmmm, German maybe? It reminds me of some of the fortress/castles that I toured.
Plantlust, I never thought otherwise. No American, immigrant or otherwise, would have gone to that that much trouble!
Phil any idea's on this chair ??
lol We agree that it's from "the old country" then. Hmmmm, what about the swivel mechanism? Something like that wouldn't be from the 14th century, right?
The piece feels/looks too heavy to be current or even back to the 1920s. It screams old to me. 1700s? I think researching the swivel mechanism would help. Too bad the underside isn't signed and dated(lol).
Wow. Well that's some insight. Is there some way I can put better pictures up or some of the rollers that might help identify things?
More pictures the person that might have seen such a chair I think has missed seeing so far .
Is Victorian Gothic Tub Chair the right path?
MrsGraham
Chicago is an old German town (ditto Milwaukee, and a few towns around San Antonio), so it heightens the odds that someone brought it over. Hmm, Bavarian, maybe?
Hey, what about the building? Do you know what building he bought? I know Lincoln Ave was a heavily German area of the city when Mom & Dad moved there in the late 50s/early 60s.
Renaissance Revival chair But I doubt made in Milwaukee I think it was brought to Chicago and Phil has seen a lot of chairs I would research his answer :-)
Here is an example look at similarities and the face on back . This was just a quick look based on Phil's response
http://ancientpoint.com/inf/104645-antique_carved_mahogany_north_wind_face_curule_throne_chair_renaissance_revival.html
Thank you thank you all for the great guidance. Manikin I saw your link, very similar. I've spent the last bit of time here scrolling through google image searches and am completely engrossed. There are some stunning pieces of furniture out there and they truly are, as you said blunderbuss2, works of art.
Plantlust, unfortunately I can't ask my Grandpa as he passed away last year. I know he was extremely fond of the chair, as am I. My mother and Aunt and Uncle all abhorred it and it was left in the old farm house to be stored (read: abandoned) when my Grandpa built a new home and moved house. Luckily I wandered down memory lane with him one afternoon years and years ago and it was gifted to me. I know he had property all around Chicago at different times so it could be from anywhere. I'll keep looking for more info on Renaissance Revival / Bavarian Gothic... where and how can I date a roller hardware piece?
Phil do you think this was a one off or part of a pair / set? Shame people don't sign furniture like they do (at times) artwork. Whoever was connected to the making of this chair should be proud of their efforts.
To begin with I am speaking about the two pictures that are posted right side up. I don't bother with sideways or upside down images as I assume if they were important they would be posted right side up.
The carving in pic #1 is so crude and lacking perfection that it speaks volumes. This was in fact hand carved but not necessarily in Europe. Hand carving of this type chair came to a sudden stop when press backs were invented.
Most of the six leg chairs I have seen were made in Sweden during the 1870's and were rocking chairs. A few were from England made of black walnut but to long ago for me to remember their actual use. Sorry I am getting somewhat over the hill.
The two pic's I see are fine but I happen to be a bit unusual because I prefer seeing the underside, back and joinery. I can't give you a date and the maker will probably never be known. I think PhilDavid hit the date fairly close or perhaps it is a bit older. If you lift it up and feel under the legs are there holes where casters may have been at one time?
Sorry for the delay in response to all of your great posts. I finally figured out how to rotate the pictures (I'm new around here) sorry about the sideways uploads. I'm also going to upload another set of pictures of this chair as there have been questions regarding other angles and seeing the casters. My deepest thanks to everyone for your time and efforts and for sharing your knowledge and creative thinking. Phil: Wow, I can see what you mean about the piano! It's something out of a movie and I can picture the chair front and center. fhrjr2: My apologies for the neck-breaker picture uploads. To answer your question about the under side of the legs, there were no holes, there are metal glides. I've uploaded pictures of the roller casters for the underside of the swivel seat as well as other views. Any other insight you can offer will be appreciated.
I've seen the basic form described as a "swivel Captain's chair" - mind you 'captain's chair' covers a lot of low backed chairs!
I'm still hung-up on the reliefs & how much work & artistry was involved.
I do admit there is quite a bit going on here. And I don't really think that this was a daily trade for the maker but I will say that a lot of time, effort and love went into it. I wish I knew a back story.
Hi
Not sure if you’re still on here but I bought a similar 6 legged chair couple of years ago in Kent, England and have been trying to find out the origins. Would love to share a pic if you’re still here...
Nazk I'd love to see a pic of your chair. I was just given two chairs today that are definitely related to this one. They don't have the same ornamentation but the legs are exact the same. One is a swivel and the other is not. They have a wicker seat with another seat made of fabric placed on top of them.