Posted 8 years ago
funkychicken
(1 item)
Bought this at auction in Kentucky in around 1998. Anyone have thoughts on what the style is? Age? Country? I assumed America, but don't really know. The fancy carving on the back almost looks Italian or French?
The chairs I've seen online that have some of these features say-
"lion's paw feet"
"with casters" (on the front feet)
"paper-scroll carved" back and arms
"pierced splat" - splat is the back, I figured out. It has holes in the carving.
and I think it may be "flamed mahogany". Which is also called crotched mahogany. Where a tree branch angles away from the trunk of the tree. But I'm not sure this chair has that.
Oh, and "library chair". I'm thinking this doesn't look like a dining chair because it is so heavy. Again, guessing.
My grandson leaped around on the front, so it now sags. I wonder if it is from the early 1800's?
Any thoughts or ideas on places I can go to learn more would be appreciated. I can't figure out how to keep my photos from coming out sideways. I'd straighten it around if I could.
It was absolutely filthy until last week. In daughter's basement, and from the amount of near black grime that came off, it may have been ages since it was cleaned. Almost looks fake now in the photo. I used this British walnut-colored beeswax to wax it with after having cleaned it off with a good quality cleaner. The fabric was once a Kelly green. I was afraid to use the dark colored wax at first, but having just moved, I've discovered I had not brought the clear wax. Now I am glad I have the dark one, because I bet the light one would be hard to get out of the low spots. Kentucky homes often have heavy smokers. I bet it is cigarette smoke that was all over it for many decades. Even the burlap strips underneath are brown !