An elegant walnut armchair of the James II period, c.1685, tall and graceful, this was an important new stage in English chair design. This style of cane backed and seated chairs had represented a revolution in seating comfort, but with the disadvantage of fragility.A surprising number of these chairs still exist (they were made in their thousands) but many are now suitable only for decorative purposes as woodworm, frequent recaning, and damage to the joints and the tall backs have rendered them virtually unusable.This is not the case with this one. This chair, over 300 years old, with its glorious sculptural quality, is not just a joy to look at but can also be used, although care should be exercised as with all chairs of this type and age.As usual with these chairs there are signs of old woodworm, but now defunct.The crest rail is carved with a shell … a very fashionable motif of the period ..., this, and the front rail, are deftly executed with bold cuts of the c...