Featured Interesting chair in upcoming auction. What is it?

Was browsing a local auction and saw this unusual chair. Can anybody tell me anything about it? I know zip about furniture. I cant seem to enlarge the picture and it's the only one I have. This chair seems to have legs like the arm spindles, and also another set of wood legs in front of them. That's the best I can tell you. Any guesses?

 

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dammit. cant get it to enlarge.

 

I downloaded and enlarged the photo, and while it was out of focus, I could still see enough to say that, YES, this is quite unusual................to say the very least!

But I REALLY like it!

 

Got it!

 

I like it too Mansons. Have no idea where I would put it. Don't have a formal parlor. But Damn I like it!

 

It is unusual. A late Victorian fantastical creation of a barrel chair. Can't think it would be all that comfortable but it looks way cool.

 

Thanks Brad. I was able to zoom into the back of the chair on my phone and the decoration medallion in the middle appears to be a face with a large nose and mustache. Looks somewhat familiar , like something I have seen before but can't place it. The front leg spindles also come down and connect to the top of the front feet. I have never seen anything like it.

 

Looks like a green man or north wind design. Kind of get a classical influence meets empire revival vibe from it.

 

I think it reminds me of the charactiures of the nort wind I have seen.

 

Lol posted at the same time!

 

Was able to find this somewhat similar chair searching empire revival chairs. Looks like it has similar spindles attaching the legs. It is originally from ebay but darned if I could find a listing past or present.

 

Thanks brad. Going to go to the auction preview in a couple weeks. Any tips on what I should be paying attention to on this chair?

 

Is the armrest being so high indicate empire style? Also the legs and seat seem short/low. Being a short man, I could never sit in it and actually USE the armrests.

 

This chair does not scream empire revival to me but there are elements. The flat front plane with splayed legs and the under-curved hand rest are particular elements. The tall arms could fit with the style but are also a nod to classicism. All the spindle work does not fit with the style.

There is some ancient precedence for tall arm chairs going all the way back to Egyptian times. French Empire chairs sometimes employed them. However, there seems to have been a resurgence of the form in late Victorian/Edwardian times with prime manifestation in the Empire revival style. This may have been more a function of a classical revival than being true to the Empire style. There were some particularly monsterous tall-armed tub chairs produced at the beginning of the 20th century that really had no precedence in earlier American empire forms.

This was a period of experimentation with style and designers borrowed elements from various designs to create some thing new. There was also a penchant for excess. I think this chair is an example of such design and not entirely successful IMHO.

 

Primarily that it is sturdy and without structural issues. I also get the idea that the seat configuration is not right. I wonder if this might have originally been caned (or had some other kind of decking and/or springs) and had a loose seat cushion. The way the seat thins out at the front and meets that hard edge does not look right to me.

 

Brad....Thank you for all your information and insight on this chair. I really appreciate you taking the time to help educate me about it!

 

I have a tete-a-tete chair that is totally impractical, but was love at first site. It resides awkwardly in my sitting room, but I like looking at it. So there. If you love it, buy it.

 

In my opinion, this looks as if it would have been a nursing chair but one with more elegance than most examples you could find, especially being so low to the ground (easy access to the kiddies). I would imagine it being placed with a well off family with some class as you can see that most nursing chairs are wide and low and open, this seems to be made to perhaps sit in the corner of a nursery or day room

 

I sure wouldn't want to try and nurse a baby with those big arms in the way! You have to hold the baby in the crook of your arm and the arms would pen you in.