An extraordinarily rare set of six early George III ash high comb-back Windsor armchairs, West Country, circa 1760

Each having a back of eight hand-shaped spindles supporting a triple-'waved' cresting rail with rounded-ends, and with a cleft-curved section of ash to each end, the single bent arm supported by four tapered spindles and a cleft-curved front support, the broad saddle-seat with double-reeded rear edge and flat front, on four hand-shaped legs morticed and wedged through the seat, approximate measurements - 75cm wide x 59cm deep x 111.5cm high, (29 1/2in wide x 23in deep x 43 1/2in high)

Although these Windsor chairs vary slightly in size they were almost certainly made in the same workshop, and very possibly by one chair-maker or wheel-wright, as their individual construction does not vary. The fact the chairs have remained together for over two hundred and fifty years is remarkable.

Literature:
See B. D. Cotton The English Regional Chair (2000), p.273, fig. SW19 and p. 265, colour pl. 34, for a matching chair with original blue/green paint. The chairs in this Lot have no obvious signs of paint residue.

An identical chair is in the Geffrye Museum, London, [no. 502/2005]