Blue Upholstered Wingback Chair
A blue upholstered wingback chair offers deep side panels and high backs designed to shield against draughts, appearing here in revival styles and period frames.
Blue Upholstered Wingback Chair
A blue upholstered wingback chair brings substantial seating to a room, featuring distinct side wings attached to the arms to deflect cold air. The pieces on this page span the Victorian era, the Edwardian period, and the early twentieth century, alongside earlier revival interpretations.
Revival pieces dominate the selection, drawing heavily on Georgian and Queen Anne aesthetics to create substantial armchairs suitable for country houses and formal salons alike.
How they were made
Makers constructed the structural frames using dense hardwoods like mahogany and walnut, shaping the cabriole legs and supports by hand. Exposed woodwork often received a polished finish to highlight the grain.
Upholstery techniques involved securing heavy textiles, silk, or velvet over layered stuffing, occasionally incorporating complex patterns such as the distinctive silk parrot design or traditional damask weaves.
What varies in quality
The standard of timber framing dictates the structural integrity of each chair, with dense hardwoods and finely carved details separating standard workshop production from superior examples. Master carvers executed crisp lines on the legs and wing supports.
The choice and execution of the upholstery material define the visual weight of the piece, from simple ribbed fabric to elaborate silk and velvet coverings that retain their texture over decades.
Whytock and Reid·Howard and Sons·William Morris
The Blue Upholstered Wingback Chair Glossary
- Wingback
- An armchair featuring protective side panels attached to the arms designed to trap body heat and block draughts. This form evolved significantly during the Georgian period.
- Bergère
- An enclosed upholstered armchair with wooden frames where the sides are frequently stuffed or panelled. It remains a staple of Edwardian formal seating.
- Cabriole
- A furniture leg that bends outward and then tapers inward, finishing in a pad, claw, or ball foot. This shape defines many revival pieces from the Georgian and Queen Anne styles.
- Damask
- A reversible figured fabric woven on a loom, featuring patterns formed by contrasting warps and wefts. It provides a formal texture frequently seen on period upholstery.
Blue Upholstered Wingback Chair: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a wingback chair?
A wingback chair is an upholstered armchair featuring projecting side panels designed to shield the sitter from draughts. The high back and enclosed sides created a microclimate near the hearth in older houses.
Over time, the form transitioned from a purely practical heating accessory into a decorative statement piece used in formal libraries and drawing rooms.
How do I date a wing chair?
Dating relies on examining the timber frame, leg style, and upholstery methods underneath the visible fabric. Georgian and Victorian examples show distinct joinery techniques and proportions.
Revival pieces from the Edwardian period often copy earlier styles closely, requiring careful inspection of the wood wear and interior materials to establish accuracy.
Where should I place a wing chair?
These chairs suit corners of living rooms, studies, or bedrooms where their high backs create a distinct seating zone. Their enclosed shape makes them natural reading chairs.
Pairing them with a low side table or placing them near a focal point allows the upholstered wings and timber legs to balance the surrounding furniture.
What fabrics were used originally?
Original upholstery included heavy wool textiles, damask fabric, and silk weaves tailored to the status of the room. Velvet and velour provided a softer texture for Victorian iterations.
Many surviving pieces have undergone reupholstery to preserve the utility of the frame while maintaining period-appropriate patterns.