Medium bow back Lincolnshire Windsor armchair stamped BRAND SLEAFORD with 9 long spindles, 8 short, turned underarms supports, bell-shaped seat, 2 ring and cove legs with 2 lower rings, plain back legs, crinoline stretcher, WS 192/199

Medium bow back Lincolnshire Windsor armchair stamped BRAND SLEAFORD with 9 long spindles, 8 short, turned underarms supports, bell-shaped seat, 2 ring and cove legs with 2 lower rings, plain back legs, crinoline stretcher, WS 192/199

At first glance this is a typical Lincolnshire spindle back Windsor armchair. It is stamped BRAND SLEAFORD. The solid thick seat is fashioned from elm, the front legs are made out of cherry and the back legs turned from ash. Every other component is made from yew wood. What makes this chair slightly unusual is the turnery design to the front legs - the element of added decoration. There is a double ring turning above the cove and towards the base of the leg the turnery design is a double ring again. This striking feature is almost identical to the Shirley chair in WS 198.

Chairs by this maker are very rare. This one is the first that I have handled after many years of searching and I was pleased to add it to my collection. I had come across John Brand before - see WS 163 and 164. That chair with the seat stamped BRAND and MARSH proves that they must have been working together for a while.

The tradition of chair making in Sleaford has three names which standout and often appear in the directories and censuses, namely MARSH, BRAND and MASON. While many MARSH stamped chairs have been recorded, very few BRAND stamped chairs appear on the market and not one single chair stamped with MASON has ever been found.  After many years of searching, I was so pleased to find this BRAND chair advertised on the internet by a dealer in the south of the county. We agreed on a price and as he was about to visit the Newark Fair, he offered to deliver it as well.

© William Sergeant 2017 and 2020