What defines late 18th-century Dutch marquetry seating?

Dutch marquetry furniture from this era features dense floral, foliate, and urn motifs inlaid into walnut veneers using contrasting woods. The seating design typically incorporates shaped splats, curving arms, and carved cabriole legs influenced by Continental Rococo and Dutch Baroque styles.

What materials were traditionally used in crafting Dutch marquetry chairs?

The primary structural frame and veneer base are usually solid walnut and walnut veneer. The decorative marquetry inlays utilise various fruitwoods, holly, boxwood, or stained timbers to achieve detailed tonal contrast across the floral patterns.

How can you identify authentic 18th-century Dutch marquetry armchairs?

Authentic period pieces display hand-sawn timber frames, subtle irregularities in the hand-cut marquetry inlays, and natural age-related shrinkage lines along the veneers. Drop-in seat frames and hand-carved joinery underneath the seat rails also indicate original construction.

How do you style late 18th-century marquetry armchairs in a modern interior?

Place these armchairs as statement accent seating in a formal drawing room, study, or wide entrance hall. Pairing intricate floral marquetry with understated neutral walls or contemporary textured fabrics balances the rich detail of the woodwork.

How should antique walnut marquetry furniture be maintained and preserved?

Position the furniture away from direct heat sources and prolonged sunlight to prevent veneer lifting or timber bleaching. Dust regularly with a soft microfibre cloth and apply a high-grade natural beeswax polish sparingly to nourish the wood.

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Antique Pair Dutch Marquetry Walnut High Back Armchairs Late 18th C

Name: Antique Pair Dutch Marquetry Walnut High Back Armchairs Late 18th C
Brand: Antique
SKU: SA1087779
Price: 2300 GBP
Availability: InStock

18th century

For Sale by Regent Antiques

Description

This is a wonderful and rare pair of high backed Dutch walnut and floral marquetry armchairs, Circa 1780 in date.

The chairs have been skillfully crafted from walnut, and bear profuse floral marquetry inlaid decoration and are typical of the very best period Dutch marquetry furniture.

The majestic central back splats are inlaid with floral marquetry decoration, the craftsmen did everything to make the backs stand out, and as a finishing touch each chair has floral marquetry with bouquets, urns and birds, which add an extra touch of elegance and finesse to these sumptuous chairs.

They have luxurious shaped drop-in seats that have been reupholstered in a sumptuous teal damask fabric, and the chairs are raised on elegant gently curving cabriole legs with carved foliate decoration and floral marquetry. They terminate in claw and ball feet typical of the period

Transform the decoration in your home with this pair of chairs fit for a King.

Condition:

In excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned, French polished waxed and reupholstered in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation.

Dimensions in cm:

Height 113 cm x Width 63 cm x Depth 47 cm

Height 50 cm

Dimensions in inches:

Height 3 foot, 8 inches x Width 2 feet, 1 inch x Depth 1 foot, 6 inches

Height 1 foot, 8 inches

Walnut

The Walnut woods are probably the most recognisable and popular of all the exotic woods, having been used in furniture making for many centuries. Walnut veneer was highly priced and the cost would reflect the ‘fanciness’ of the veneer – the more decorative, then the more expensive and desirable.

Marquetry

is decorative artistry where pieces of material of different colours are inserted into surface wood veneer to form intricate patterns such as scrolls or flowers.

The technique of veneered marquetry had its inspiration in 16th century Florence. Marquetry elaborated upon Florentine techniques of inlaying solid marble slabs with designs formed of fitted marbles, jaspers and semi-precious stones. This work, called opere di commessi, has medieval parallels in Central Italian "Cosmati"-work of inlaid marble floors, altars and columns. The technique is known in English as pietra dura, for the "hardstones" used: onyx, jasper, cornelian, lapis lazuli and colored marbles. In Florence, the Chapel of the Medici at San Lorenzo is completely covered in a colored marble facing using this demanding jig-sawn technique.

Techniques of wood marquetry were developed in Antwerp and other Flemish centers of luxury cabinet-making during the early 16th century. The craft was imported full-blown to France after the mid-seventeenth century, to create furniture of unprecedented luxury being made at the royal manufactory of the Gobelins, charged with providing furnishings to decorate Versailles and the other royal residences of Louis XIV. Early masters of French marquetry were the Fleming Pierre Golle and his son-in-law, André-Charles Boulle, who founded a dynasty of royal and Parisian cabinet-makers (ébénistes) and gave his name to a technique of marquetry employing brass with pewter in arabesque or intricately foliate designs.

Our reference: A3758

Physical Dimensions

Height

113cm (44.49")

Width

63cm (24.80")

Depth

47cm (18.50")

Declaration

Regent Antiques has dated these Dutch Marquetry Walnut Armchairs to the 1700s.

Reference Numbers

Sellingantiques Reference

SA1087779

Dealers Internal Reference

A3758

Description

This is a wonderful and rare pair of high backed Dutch walnut and floral marquetry armchairs, Circa 1780 in date.

“

The chairs have been skillfully crafted from walnut, and bear profuse floral marquetry inlaid decoration and are typical of the very best period Dutch marquetry furniture.

Regent Antiques

fig 1. A pair of late eighteenth-century Dutch walnut high back armchairs featuring detailed floral marquetry inlay throughout and green damask drop-in seats. — fig 1. Antique Pair Dutch Marquetry Walnut High Back Armchairs Late 18th C

The majestic central back splats are inlaid with floral marquetry decoration, the craftsmen did everything to make the backs stand out, and as a finishing touch each chair has floral marquetry with bouquets, urns and birds, which add an extra touch of elegance and finesse to these sumptuous chairs.

fig 2. A pair of late eighteenth-century Dutch walnut high back armchairs featuring detailed floral marquetry inlay throughout and green damask drop-in seats. — fig 2. Antique Pair Dutch Marquetry Walnut High Back Armchairs Late 18th C

They have luxurious shaped drop-in seats that have been reupholstered in a sumptuous teal damask fabric, and the chairs are raised on elegant gently curving cabriole legs with carved foliate decoration and floral marquetry. They terminate in claw and ball feet typical of the period

fig 3. A pair of late eighteenth-century Dutch walnut high back armchairs featuring detailed floral marquetry inlay throughout and green damask drop-in seats. — fig 3. Antique Pair Dutch Marquetry Walnut High Back Armchairs Late 18th C

Transform the decoration in your home with this pair of chairs fit for a King.

Condition:

In excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned, French polished waxed and reupholstered in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation.

fig 4. A pair of late eighteenth-century Dutch walnut high back armchairs featuring detailed floral marquetry inlay throughout and green damask drop-in seats. — fig 4. Antique Pair Dutch Marquetry Walnut High Back Armchairs Late 18th C

Dimensions in cm:

Height 113 cm x Width 63 cm x Depth 47 cm

Height 50 cm

Dimensions in inches:

Height 3 foot, 8 inches x Width 2 feet, 1 inch x Depth 1 foot, 6 inches

Height 1 foot, 8 inches

Walnut

The Walnut woods are probably the most recognisable and popular of all the exotic woods, having been used in furniture making for many centuries. Walnut veneer was highly priced and the cost would reflect the ‘fanciness’ of the veneer – the more decorative, then the more expensive and desirable.

Marquetry

is decorative artistry where pieces of material of different colours are inserted into surface wood veneer to form intricate patterns such as scrolls or flowers.

The technique of veneered marquetry had its inspiration in 16th century Florence. Marquetry elaborated upon Florentine techniques of inlaying solid marble slabs with designs formed of fitted marbles, jaspers and semi-precious stones. This work, called opere di commessi, has medieval parallels in Central Italian "Cosmati"-work of inlaid marble floors, altars and columns. The technique is known in English as pietra dura, for the "hardstones" used: onyx, jasper, cornelian, lapis lazuli and colored marbles. In Florence, the Chapel of the Medici at San Lorenzo is completely covered in a colored marble facing using this demanding jig-sawn technique.

fig 6. A pair of late eighteenth-century Dutch walnut high back armchairs featuring detailed floral marquetry inlay throughout and green damask drop-in seats. — fig 6. Antique Pair Dutch Marquetry Walnut High Back Armchairs Late 18th C

Techniques of wood marquetry were developed in Antwerp and other Flemish centers of luxury cabinet-making during the early 16th century. The craft was imported full-blown to France after the mid-seventeenth century, to create furniture of unprecedented luxury being made at the royal manufactory of the Gobelins, charged with providing furnishings to decorate Versailles and the other royal residences of Louis XIV. Early masters of French marquetry were the Fleming Pierre Golle and his son-in-law, André-Charles Boulle, who founded a dynasty of royal and Parisian cabinet-makers (ébénistes) and gave his name to a technique of marquetry employing brass with pewter in arabesque or intricately foliate designs.

Our reference: A3758