A Pair of Northern English Mahogany Spindle-Back Arm Chairs, circa 1760

A pair of circa 1760 northern English arm chairs of solid mahogany construction each with pierced top-rails above spindle backs and scrolled arm supports with drop in seats, raised on square legs joined by stretchers on sledge feet with concealed wood castors. This form of chair is also known as a "Drunkard's chair" due to its inability to tip over. A similar example is pictured in the reference below and described as "A mahogany elbow chair with open back of turned vertical spindles or small balusters , constructed of solid mahogany through-out, the legs have inset castors of ["lignum vitae"] [(this wood or black leather is the usual practice)]. These chairs are sometimes named after Westmorland or Lancashire, and are definitely of North Country origin. Exceptionally wide or low-seated examples have been dubbed ["Drunkard's Chairs."] George III, c. 1760"

Provenance: Briarcliff Manor, NY estate with interiors designed by Parrish-Hadley.

Literature: 'The English Chair: Its History and Evolution'. London, W.C. 1: M. Harris & Sons, 1937, p. 126.