High Back Easy Chair
A high back easy chair offers a deep, enclosing seat designed to block draughts and provide proper support for the head and shoulders.
High Back Easy Chair
A high back easy chair principally takes the form of the traditional wingback armchair, designed to shelter the sitter from cold room currents by framing the head and torso. These pieces emerge across periods from the eighteenth century through the Edwardian era, spanning walnut, mahogany, and oak frames.
Buyers frequently encounter nineteenth-century interpretations alongside Georgian originals and later revivals carrying Queen Anne or Chippendale styles. Many examples arrive upholstered in modern textiles or period-appropriate fabrics such as velvet, damask, and leather, while others retain calico ready for a custom finish.
The selection ranges from large-scale English mahogany and walnut seating to regional Scottish school pieces and pairs built with generous proportions. Such chairs serve as focal points in studies and drawing rooms, combining substantial timber framing with comfortable padded upholstery.
Materials and construction
Makers constructed the structural frames of these armchairs using dense hardwoods like mahogany, walnut, and oak, often shaping the exposed woodwork on the legs and arm supports. Cabinetmakers turned cabriole or straight legs and joined the internal rails securely to bear the weight of deep cushioning.
Traditional upholstery techniques involved webbed bases and stuffed sides, wings, and backs layered with natural fillings before securing the final textile or leather cover. Brass tacks frequently edge the upholstery line on traditional and revival pieces, securing the material directly to the hardwood frame.
High Back Easy Chair Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for high back easy chair among the pieces listed under this phrase on Sellingantiques today, from the lower quarter to the upper quarter. They describe what is for sale here now, not the wider market.
Listings feature mahogany, walnut, and oak frames paired with leather, velvet, and damask upholstery across multiple centuries.
Distinctions in quality
Quality rests significantly upon the proportions of the wooden frame and the crispness of any carved details, such as cabriole legs or claw-and-ball feet. Superior examples maintain balanced wing angles and sturdy structural integrity without timber fatigue.
The standard of upholstery work and the choice of covering material dictate the refinement of the piece. Well-executed traditional re-upholstery respects the historic profile of the chair, ensuring the wings and high back retain their intended architectural line and firm comfort.
Howard And Sons
The High Back Easy Chair Glossary
- Wingback
- An armchair featuring projecting side panels attached to the high back designed to shield the face from fireside draughts. These wings define the classic silhouette of the furniture.
- Cabriole leg
- A furniture leg featuring a double curve, stepping outward at the knee and tapering inward toward the ankle. This form often terminates in a pad or claw foot.
- Damask
- A reversible figured fabric traditionally woven in silk, wool, or linen, featuring intricate patterns created through warp and weft variations. It appears frequently as a formal upholstery choice on period seating.
- Carolean style
- A decorative design movement reflecting the restoration period of the late seventeenth century, characterised by rich carved woodwork and formal vertical proportions. It influences later nineteenth-century revival seating.
High Back Easy Chair: Frequently Asked Questions
What defines a high back easy chair?
These pieces are characterised by an elevated upholstered backrest, frequently flanked by projecting wings designed to retain heat and block draughts.
They provide deep seating comfort and historically served as primary fireside chairs in principal rooms.
How do I identify a Georgian original?
Authentic eighteenth-century examples display timber patination, hand-cut joinery, and frame proportions native to the period rather than later revival methods.
Examination of the underside and internal webbing often reveals the age of the underlying construction.
Are these chairs suitable for daily use?
Most pieces handle daily seating well, provided the internal webbing and padding have received proper restoration or maintenance.
Many listings feature chairs recently recovered in fresh textiles, ensuring they suit modern domestic living.
What is the difference between original and revival styles?
Revival pieces date from the nineteenth or early twentieth century but consciously replicate earlier eighteenth-century aesthetics, such as Queen Anne or Chippendale designs.
While constructed later, these revival items often exhibit high standards of cabinetmaking and upholstery.