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Pair of Important Original Antique Klismos Armchairs Carved Lions Woven Leather

About the Item

We are delighted to offer for sale this important pair of original Victorian Klismos armchairs with hand dyed brown leather woven seats. These really are an exquisite pair of armchairs, they are pure art furniture from every angle. Starting at the top you have a Greek key carved back rails, the front arms are carved eagle heads, the seats as mentioned are veg tan hand dyed woven leather straps which make for a very comfortable and hard wearing seat. The front legs are ornately carved Lions heads with hairy paw feet and wings to the sides, the rear legs are again, ornately carved and finish with Lions hairy paws. These are a museum quality pair of armchairs that look expensive and important in any setting Condition wise, there will be normal age and use related patina marks, we have deep cleaned hand condition waxed and hand polished them from top to bottom, there is nothing negative to note Dimensions Height:- 72cm Width:- 70cm Depth:- 48cm Seat height:- 37.5cm Please note all measurements are taken at the widest point A klismos (Greek: ???sµ??) or klismos chair is a type of ancient Greek chair, with curved backrest and tapering, out curved legs. Ancient Greece Klismoi are familiar from depictions of ancient furniture on painted pottery and in bas-reliefs from the mid-fifth century BCE onwards. In epic, klismos signifies an armchair, but no specific description is given of its form; in Iliad xxiv, after Priam's appeal, Achilles rises from his thronos, raises the elder man to his feet, goes out to prepare Hector's body for decent funeral and returns, to take his place on his klismos. A vase-painting of a satyr carrying a klismos chair on his shoulder shows how light such chairs were. The curved, tapered legs of the klismos chair sweep forward and rearward, offering stability. The rear legs sweep continuously upward to support a wide concave backrest like a curved tablet, which supports the sitter's shoulders, or which may be low enough to lean an elbow on. The long and elegant curve was quite difficult to create and may have been carved from a single piece of wood, or by using mortise and tenon joints, or by bending by steam, or by training the wood. The seat was built of four wooden turned staves morticed into the legs; a web of cording or leather strips supported a cushion or a pelt. The klismos was a specifically Greek invention, without detectable earlier inspiration. The klismos fell from general favour during the Hellenistic period; nevertheless, the theatre of Dionysus at the foot of the Acropolis, Athens, of the first century CE, has carved representations of klismoi. Where a klismos is represented in Roman portraits of seated individuals, the sculptures are copies of Greek works. The fall of the klismos might be due to a design flaw, the legs of the chair are bending outwards and without any further support the legs will spread out and break when sat upon. This item is available for collection from our Pulborough warehouses CONDITION Please view the very detailed pictures as they form part of the description pertaining to the condition. Please note vintage period and original items such as leather seating will always have natural patina in the form of creasing and wear, we recommend annual waxing to ensure no moisture is lost, also hand dyed leather is not recommended to sit in direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time as it will dry out and fade.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 28.35 in (72 cm)Width: 27.56 in (70 cm)Depth: 18.9 in (48 cm)Seat Height: 14.77 in (37.5 cm)
  • Sold As:
    Set of 2
  • Style:
    Victorian (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    19th Century
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use. Minor fading.
  • Seller Location:
    GB
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU2823329291952
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  • IMPORTANT PAIR OF GEORGE III HAND CARVED CIRCA 1780 ANTIQUE LIONS PAW ARMCHAIRs
    Located in GB
    Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this Important pair of George III circa 1780-1800 hand carved library armchairs with ornate Lions Hairy Paw feet covered in grapevines Please note the delivery fee listed is just a guide, it covers within the M25 only for the UK and local Europe only for international, if you would like an accurate quote, please send me your postcode and I’ll provide you with the exact price. These are the finest pair of library reading armchairs I have ever seen, they are circa 1780-1800, the legs are long and elegant, they start with grapevine carvings to the top and follow down with an extremely elegant curve to the Lions hairy paw feet, they are an absolute work of art The upholstery is early embroidery, this was very much the fashion of the day and still is, the idea was for the lady of the house to prove she could keep herself quiet and occupied and not disturb her husband, the way she achieved this was by doing embroidery in her parlour, the more ornate and exquisite the higher the skill of the lady Condition wise, there will be some age and use related patina marks here and there to the fabric, you can see the worst of it in the pictures, as ever with this type of furniture it really doesn't matter, the fact that it still exists is the important thing. the timber all has its original finish so it will be drenched in character, we have cleaned waxed and polished the wood Dimensions Height:- 103.5cm Width:- 86cm Depth:- 74.5cm Seat height:- 62cm Please note all measurements are taken at the widest point, if you would like any additional or specific measurements please ask. Any questions please feel free to ask before you bid. This item is available for collection from our Pulborough warehouses RH20 1DF. We can have it delivered nationwide to include Scotland Wales and Ireland. Please contact me via email or my contact information is under the business seller section of the listing with your postcode for a delivery quotation. Please be sure to include which item you would like to buy as the price is determined on size and distance, if you would like more than one piece of furniture we offer a substantial discount on the second and third item, for international shipping please view the below information. ABOUT US Royal House Antiques is a privately owned family ran business founded in Wimbledon SW19 and now based in Pulborough RH20. We specialise in finding, restoring very fine luxury antique leather seating, along with every single other type of antique ranging from the 16th century to the 20th century. We also stock a number of designer brands such as Fritz Hansen, Ralph Lauren, Cavalli, Charles & Ray Eames, Vitra, David Linley, Rolex, Tiffany, Jager Le Coulter and so on. CONDITION Please view the very detailed pictures as they form part of the description pertaining to the condition. Please also ask any questions before you bid and not after, all of our items are sold as seen and as listed. Royal House Antiques cannot be held liable for any independent assumptions made regarding the items we sell, if you are unsure on any point, please feel free to ask for clarity. Please note vintage period and original items such as leather seating will always have natural patina in the form of creasing and wear, we recommend annual waxing to ensure no moisture is lost, also hand dyed leather is not recommended to sit in direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time as it will dry out and fade. COURIER, LARGE ITEMS ONLY THAT CAN’T BE POSTED We can arrange delivery nationwide, mostly with our nominated couriers, for Europe we use one reasonably priced professional company that we trust, for the rest of the world we use international shippers that can send any size item crated via air freight within 7-14 days after crating or soft packed and container shipped via sea freight within 30-60 days. The time frames outlined are guides only, non-domestic shipping is almost entirely governed by the airlines, sea freight loading times and custom clearances. Whomever delivers will always require help on the larger items to unload, the price you will be quoted will always be based on this assumption, if this is not possible, please let us know as it will affect the price to send a two-person team. Delivery is to the ground floor only, again if you need help upstairs or in flats etc that's absolutely not a problem, the couriers...
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