Large Georgian Chippendale Wingback Armchair in Red Velvet with Claw and Ball Feet

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Large Georgian Chippendale Style Red Velvet Wingback Armchair Claw & Ball Feet

A magnificent and wonderfully imposing Georgian Chippendale style … Read more Large Georgian Chippendale Style Red Velvet Wingback Armchair Claw & Ball Feet

A magnificent and wonderfully imposing Georgian Chippendale style wingback armchair, upholstered in sumptuous deep red velvet and raised upon beautifully carved mahogany claw-and-ball feet. The exceptionally tall enveloping back is gently channelled and sweeps forward into pronounced wings and generously scrolled arms, creating the wonderfully sheltered form traditionally associated with the great English fireside chairs. Finished with decorative passementerie and retaining a loose upholstered seat cushion, the rich crimson upholstery gives the chair tremendous country-house presence. Of particular note are the superbly carved front legs, with boldly modelled bird's claws gripping rounded balls beneath foliate-carved knees. The claw-and-ball foot is one of the great motifs of English Georgian furniture, appearing in England during the early 18th century and becoming particularly fashionable through the reigns of George I and George II. Its origins are generally associated with an Eastern design tradition of a dragon or bird's claw grasping a pearl or jewel, subsequently interpreted by English craftsmen as powerful talons clasping a ball. When combined with the sweeping cabriole leg, it became one of the most immediately recognisable expressions of sophisticated 18th-century cabinetmaking. The form subsequently became inseparably associated with the Chippendale tradition, although it is important to note that Thomas Chippendale did not invent the claw-and-ball foot. His celebrated The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director, first published in London in 1754, codified and disseminated an extraordinary vocabulary of Georgian, Rococo, Gothic and Chinese-inspired furniture designs and made Chippendale the most famous English cabinetmaker of his generation. This chair draws strongly upon that great English furniture tradition, combining the commanding wingback form with carved mahogany and beautifully executed claw-and-ball feet. The rich red velvet shows expected signs of age and use, while the timber has developed an attractive warm patina, giving the whole chair the wonderfully established appearance of a piece that belongs in a grand library, drawing room or country-house interior.

Dimensions Height: 111.5cm Width: 82cm Depth: 83cm Seat height: 47cm See less