Why is it called a corner chair?

The seat sits corner-forwards and the back runs round two adjoining sides, so one leg stands at the front. The name describes the geometry of the chair, not a place it was meant to stand. That shape gave the sitter a corner to straddle with an arm to either side, which is why the early ones were made as desk and reading chairs.

What are most of them made from?

Mahogany leads by a wide margin in the titles, usually Edwardian and usually described as inlaid. Oak comes next and carries the Victorian and country chairs. Walnut appears in a smaller group, mostly Georgian, and elm, ash, beech and fruitwood turn up in the country end. A few bobbin-turned examples are in black lacquer.

How old are corner chairs on the market?

The dated field runs from 1700 to 1930. The earliest sampled pieces are an Italian carved walnut audience armchair of 1700 and a walnut corner chair given as circa 1710. Victorian and Edwardian lead the period labels, with broad "19th Century" and "18th Century" buckets behind them. Fewer than a third of listings carry a clean year, so a century or a reign is the usual answer.

Do corner chairs come in pairs?

More often than the name suggests. Two chairs are offered in a sixth of titles, and pairs sit noticeably higher in the range than singles of the same description. One pair was described as clipping together to form a small sofa. A set of four appears once.

What else gets sold as a corner chair?

Tub chairs, turner's or "Old Saxon" chairs and upholstered occasional chairs make up a persistent minority of the listings. One-offs include a prie-dieu prayer chair, a child's lambing chair, a gaming chair in mahogany and red leather, a spinning chair, a Burgermeister's chair and a Dutch-style dolls chair dated 1796.

How many turn up for sale each year?

Around thirty-seven come to market on Sellingantiques in a year. A hundred and twenty separate dealers have listed one, so the form is spread thinly rather than held in depth by a few specialists.

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Antique Corner Chairs

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A corner chair is built on the diagonal, its back running round two adjoining sides above a squarish seat set corner-forwards, and it began life as a chair to write, read or sit at a desk in.