Lincolnshire hoop back Windsor side chair, with 3-piercing fleur de lys and teardrop piercing splat, 4 long spindles, straight seat sides, ball and cove front leg turning with 1 lower ring and vase-shaped feet, 2 ring back leg turning with vase-shaped feet, H stretcher with darts WS 122

Lincolnshire hoop back Windsor side chair, with 3-piercing fleur de lys and teardrop piercing splat, 4 long spindles, straight seat sides, ball and cove front leg turning with 1 lower ring and vase-shaped feet, 2 ring back leg turning with vase-shaped feet, H stretcher with darts WS 122

This chair was part of the estate of an antique dealer that was offered for sale at the auction house in Grantham in early 2014. Description : the seat is made from ash as are the back legs. The front legs, stretchers and back support are all made from yew wood. All parts appear contemporary with each other and there is no sign of alteration.

There is no maker's stamp but much of this chair design would point to it having been made in Grantham. However the back legs are typical of what would be expected as front legs on a Grantham side chair; just compare with the front legs on WS 96, WS 49 & WS 17. The back hoop, spindles and splat are very similar to a chair which appears at figure NE41 on p. 121 of Der B D Cotton's The English Regional Chair (1990), which is stamped Taylor Grantham. The real enigma is the design of the front legs with their large ball and small cove turnery, the like of which can be seen on WS 72, a chair stamped by Shirley.

© William Sergeant 2018 and 2020

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