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ID #SA1244784
FOR SALE
£645
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Antique Metamorphic Chair / Library Steps
For sale by John Howkins Antiques
for sale €755     $819
£645

John Howkins Antiques

Sellingantiques Verified Since Sep 2010
Browse dealers 477 items
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Id #SA1244784
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Antique Metamorphic Chair / Library Steps

19th century
Description

An unusual Victorian golden oak metamorphic chair / library steps. The carved and shaped back centred with a shield within a large oval supported by open carved scrolling leaves. The chair opens to form library steps with 3 treads and the whole in good useable, strong condition. Dimensions:- Height...36’’/91.5cm. Width…17.5''/ 44.5cm. Height Open…28.75’’/ 73cm. Depth Closed…18’'/46cm. Delivery to most of U.K. mainland £50.

Date of Manufacture

John Howkins Antiques has dated this Metamorphic Oak Library Chair to the 1890s.

Independent Date Check ID 09713488
Dealer's Item Date1890s
Sellingantiques Date1890s
Sellingantiques agingItem 120-150 years old
Test ResultsPassed dating check
Why Sellingantiques dated this piece to THE 1890s:
Slotted screws in the brass folding hinges: fitting methods before modern crosshead screws.
Carved shield cartouche and scrolling back: typical late Victorian hall chair taste.
Prominent flecks across the oak treads: quarter-sawn timber cut in traditional fashion.
Water rings and dark handling patina on treads: honest domestic use over generations.
Turned front legs and stretchers: late nineteenth-century cabinet turning.

This is an independent date report produced by Sellingantiques using its own proprietary system. The process uses the photographs shown on this page. The system is never told the date the dealer has declared. This report shows that the two dates corroborate.

Physical Dimensions
Height
91.5cm (36.02")
Width
44.5cm (17.52")
Depth
46cm (18.11")
Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Reference
SA1244784
Dealers Internal Reference
25029
Dealers Notes

ALL TRADE ENQUIRIES WELCOME.

Viewing by appointment.

Delivery.

We will gladly provide a quote for delivery to any U.K Mainland address and we offer a full 7 day money back guarantee if you are unhappy with your purchase. (Less the delivery cost)

Payment.

We accept payment by cheque or bank transfer.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any further information on this item on 07770 311611.

Description
An unusual Victorian golden oak metamorphic chair / library steps.
“
The carved and shaped back centred with a shield within a large oval supported by open carved scrolling leaves.
John Howkins Antiques

The chair opens to form library steps with 3 treads and the whole in good useable, strong condition. Dimensions:- Height...36’’/91.5cm. Width…17.5''/ 44.5cm. Height Open…28.75’’/ 73cm. Depth Closed…18’'/46cm. Delivery to most of U.K. mainland £50.

Date of Manufacture

John Howkins Antiques has dated this Metamorphic Oak Library Chair to the 1890s.

Independent Date Report ID 09713488
Dealer's Item Date1890s
Sellingantiques dating1890s
Sellingantiques agingItem 120-150 years old
Test ResultsPassed dating check
Why Sellingantiques dated this piece to the 1890s:
Slotted screws in the brass folding hinges: fitting methods before modern crosshead screws.
Carved shield cartouche and scrolling back: typical late Victorian hall chair taste.
Prominent flecks across the oak treads: quarter-sawn timber cut in traditional fashion.
Water rings and dark handling patina on treads: honest domestic use over generations.
Turned front legs and stretchers: late nineteenth-century cabinet turning.

This is an independent date report produced by Sellingantiques using its own proprietary system. The process uses the photographs shown on this page. The system is never told the date the dealer has declared. This report shows that the two dates corroborate.

Height
91.5cm (36.02")
Width
44.5cm (17.52")
Depth
46cm (18.11")
Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Ref
SA1244784
Dealers Internal Ref
25029
John Howkins Antiques
Sellingantiques verified Since Sep 2010
Dealer Profile

You can view the stock and full dealer information on the John Howkins Antiques Profile Page

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An antique carved oak metamorphic library chair featuring a pierced carved backrest with scrollwork, turned front legs, and a hinged seat converting into steps.
1 / 9
Archive I An antique carved oak metamorphic library chair featuring a pierced carved backrest with scrollwork, turned front legs, and a hinged seat converting into steps.

Antique Metamorphic Chair / Library Steps

Archive II An antique carved oak metamorphic library chair featuring a pierced carved backrest with scrollwork, turned front legs, and a hinged seat converting into steps. View II
Archive III An antique carved oak metamorphic library chair featuring a pierced carved backrest with scrollwork, turned front legs, and a hinged seat converting into steps. View III
Archive IV An antique carved oak metamorphic library chair featuring a pierced carved backrest with scrollwork, turned front legs, and a hinged seat converting into steps. View IV
Archive V An antique carved oak metamorphic library chair featuring a pierced carved backrest with scrollwork, turned front legs, and a hinged seat converting into steps. View V
Archive VI An antique carved oak metamorphic library chair featuring a pierced carved backrest with scrollwork, turned front legs, and a hinged seat converting into steps. View VI
Archive VII An antique carved oak metamorphic library chair featuring a pierced carved backrest with scrollwork, turned front legs, and a hinged seat converting into steps. View VII
Archive VIII An antique carved oak metamorphic library chair featuring a pierced carved backrest with scrollwork, turned front legs, and a hinged seat converting into steps. View VIII
Archive IX An antique carved oak metamorphic library chair featuring a pierced carved backrest with scrollwork, turned front legs, and a hinged seat converting into steps. View IX
Enlarged Archival View

John Howkins Antiques
Telephone 01508 498335 or 07770 311 611
Location
The Grange
Hempnall Green
Norfolk
NR15 2NR
United Kingdom
Dealer Profile Page sellingantiques.co.uk/jhowkins
Verified Since Sep 2010
Items For Sale 477
Items Sold 3,844
John Howkins Antiques
Verified Since Sep 2010
View Dealer Info
Location: The Grange, Hempnall Green, Norfolk, NR15 2NR, United Kingdom
Profile: sellingantiques.co.uk/jhowkins
Verified
Sep 2010
For Sale
477
Sold
3,844
An antique carved oak metamorphic library chair featuring a pierced carved backrest with scrollwork, turned front legs, and a hinged seat converting into steps.
Antique Metamorphic Chair / Library Steps
Ref: SA1244784
An antique carved oak metamorphic library chair featuring a pierced carved backrest with scrollwork, turned front legs, and a hinged seat converting into steps.
Detail View 1
Detail View 2
Detail View 3
Detail View 4
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Detail View 6
Detail View 7
Detail View 8
Archival Detail

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Cataloguer’s note

Written by Sellingantiques from the dealer’s photographs and listing
  • ObjectMetamorphic Chairs
  • Period19th century
  • StyleVictorian Gothic Revival
  • MaterialOak, Brass
  • ColourWarm Brown
  • MotifsScroll carving, Concentric circle cresting, Turned front legs, Hinged wooden seat
  • SizeH 91.5 cm (36 in) x W 44.5 cm (18 in) x D 46 cm (18 in)

FAQs

A metamorphic library chair is a dual-function furniture piece designed during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that hinges open to convert from a regular seat into a set of library steps.

These items are predominantly crafted from dense hardwoods such as oak or mahogany, utilising mortise and tenon joinery along with brass or iron hinges to support the pivoting step mechanism.

Authenticity is indicated by structural wear around the central hinges, hand-cut joinery marks, genuine timber patination, and proportional weight balance between the chair and ladder configurations.

Position the piece within a home library, private study, or open hallway as an architectural accent that offers both decorative appeal and practical access to high shelving.

Dust regularly with a dry microfibre cloth and apply a quality natural beeswax polish annually, keeping the piece clear of direct heat sources to prevent timber shrinkage or splitting.
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