Rare Late 18th Century George III “Gothick” Yew Wood Windsor Chair

Decorative, rare Yew Wood and Elm Windsor chair, probably made in the Thames Valley, at the end of the 18th century, George III style, with exceptional color and very good condition, commensurate with age and use.

Eighteenth century chairs with Gothic shaped backs and pierced splats are often considered to represent the pinnacle of Windsor-chair design, and are extremely rare.

There are supposedly about 2 dozen 'Gothick' Windsor chairs known and believed to be period examples, made ca. 1740-1760. It is believed that period examples are always made of yew wood and elm for the seat.

An example is illustrated in ‘The English Regional Chair’ and is attributed to London/Thames Valley, and a similar chair is in the Victoria and Albert Museum, although made of Yew wood and Mahogany.

Comparing our chair (made of yew wood, having an elm seat and straight back-legs with only one turned knob, all the right attributes of an early example), we can observe very slight differences: the pegged joint at the tip of the back-splat (instead of an inset sliver of wood), no thin groove around the edge of the back-frame, the slightly less splayed, “prancing” stance of the front-cabriole legs, and the overall more sturdy appearance that make us cautiously believe that our chair was probably made a little bit later, around 1780-1800. The chair is a beautiful example, with a wonderful deep patina and shows the right amount of use and age as to be expected.