Pair of Victorian Oak Hall Chairs

19th century

Sold by Colin Brand Antiques

Description

Victorian pair of Oak Hall Chairs

Hall Chairs, once a staple feature of stately homes throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, hall chairs occupied a prominent position in the home’s entryway. Placed to accommodate guests entering the home before they were invited into the more intimate inner rooms, they also provided a discreet resting place for waiting servants, the solid upright back prevented slouching!

Thomas Chippendale’s ‘The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director’, 1754, featured the first designs for the hall chair. The backs, carved from solid wood, were often painted with the family’s coat of arms and motto, which these days allows for provenance to easily be traced. They feature a solid hardwood seat, allowing for it to be easily cleaned. Hall chairs are not to be confused with porter’s chairs of the same period, which were designed with a cocoon like back to exclude draughts.

Physical Dimensions

Height

89cm (35.04")

Width

42cm (16.54")

Depth

37cm (14.57")

Declaration

Colin Brand Antiques has dated this piece to the 19th Century.

Reference Numbers

Sellingantiques Reference

SA1165830

Dealers Internal Reference

CRBJR/2490

Dealers Notes

Colin Brand Antiques Est. 1984

Description

Victorian pair of Oak Hall Chairs

“

Hall Chairs, once a staple feature of stately homes throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, hall chairs occupied a prominent position in the home’s entryway.

Colin Brand Antiques

Placed to accommodate guests entering the home before they were invited into the more intimate inner rooms, they also provided a discreet resting place for waiting servants, the solid upright back prevented slouching!

fig 1. Pair of Victorian Oak Hall Chairs

Thomas Chippendale’s ‘The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director’, 1754, featured the first designs for the hall chair. The backs, carved from solid wood, were often painted with the family’s coat of arms and motto, which these days allows for provenance to easily be traced. They feature a solid hardwood seat, allowing for it to be easily cleaned. Hall chairs are not to be confused with porter’s chairs of the same period, which were designed with a cocoon like back to exclude draughts.