Pair of George II Walnut Windsor Armchairs

An outstanding pair of George II period hall armchairs in black walnut, of unusual 'Windsor' design. England, circa 1740–50.

Why we like them

Handsome and chunky, architecturally inspired design, solid heavy construction, beautifully aged timber. An excellent choice for a classical or an eclectic interior.

Items that are not merely quirky, but are of genuinely outstanding, unique design, are quite rare to find. These most extraordinary chairs exemplify that scarce type of object, desired by the discerning collectors and genius interior decorators.

Design

Their most unusual, horseshoe-shaped form, of wide but shallow proportions, suggests that they were designed to sit in the rounded alcoves of a grand entrance hall, or in a garden pavilion, to be drawn to the centre table when needed. Such contrasting combination of almost exaggerated curves of the cabriole legs with their robust, square-cuts, and the architectural severity of the Tuscan columns that support the deeply curved backrests, create an intense and dramatic appearance. Their clean, graphic form is equally suited for classic and contemporary interiors.

Similarly robust, architecturally-patterned hall chairs, with pillared triumphal arched backs, were supplied to Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester (d.1759) for the South Hall, beneath the temple-pedimented portico, of Holkham Hall, Norfolk. Today some of the Holkham chairs are displayed in its Marble Hall.

Dimensions

Height: 33.5 in / 85 cm
Depth: 20 in / 51 cm
Width: 27.5 in / 70 cm
Seat Height: 18.5 in / 47 cm