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Antique Pair of Regency Mahogany Hall Chairs by Gilllows, 19th Century

Name: Antique Pair of Regency Mahogany Hall Chairs by Gilllows, 19th Century
Brand: Gillows of Lancaster & London
Price: 2294.99 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

This is a wonderful antique pair of Regency mahogany hall chairs by Gillows Lancaster, circa 1820 in date. These lovely chairs have been masterfully crafted in beautiful solid mahogany. They feature scroll and foliate carved waisted backs above plank seats, and are raised on reeded tapered legs. Each chair stamped on the seat rails GILLOWS LANCASTER. Be sure this splendid pair will make a showpiece as enter your home. THE BOTANICAL NAME FOR THE MAHOGANY THESE CHAIRS ARE MADE OF IS SWIETENIA MACROPHYLLA AND THIS TYPE OF MAHOGANY IS NOT SUBJECT TO CITES REGULATION. Condition: In excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned and polished in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 86 x width 42 x depth 48 Dimensions in inches: Height 33.9 x width 16.5 x depth 18.9 Gillow & Co. was originally founded in Lancaster in 1730. Gillow’s of Lancaster was a household name in Victorian Britain, and the firm exported furniture throughout the Empire. Key to the company’s success was the dynamic father and son team at its core. The London branch was opened in 1775. Among Gillow’s most successful pieces during this period were those made in the neoclassical style from original drawings by Robert Adam. In the period 1813-1820 the Gillow family gradually withdrew from personal involvement with the business. In 1897 Gillow & Co. merged with a Liverpool firm and they henceforth traded as Waring & Gillow. Antique Hall Chairs were first introduced in the late Georgian period, usually made in pairs and in mahogany or Oak woods. These dainty antique chairs were often built by skilled cabinet makers in fine timbers and ornately carved with scrolls. Hall chairs were situated in the entrance or hall and used for guests to wait until they were invited into dining rooms and they were also used for servants to wait during servings. Mahogany is probably one of the largest ‘families’ of hardwood, having many different varieties within its own species. Mahogany has been used for centuries in ship building, house building, furniture making etc and is the core structure of just about every 19th century vanity box, dressing case or jewellery box. It became more of a Victorian trend to dress mahogany with these decorative veneers, such as Rosewood, Kingwood, Burr Walnut and Coromandel, so that the actual mahogany was almost hidden from view. Mahogany itself is a rich reddish brown wood that can range from being plain in appearance to something that is so vibrant, figured and almost three dimensional in effect. Although mahogany was most often used in its solid form, it also provided some beautifully figured varieties of veneer like ‘Flame’ mahogany and ‘Fiddleback’ mahogany (named after its preferred use in the manufacture of fine musical instruments). Cuban mahogany was so sought after, that by the late 1850s, this particular variety became all but extinct.

Creator:

Gillows of Lancaster & London (Maker)

Dimensions:

Height: 33.86 in (86 cm)Width: 16.54 in (42 cm)Depth: 18.9 in (48 cm)

Sold As:

Set of 2

Style:

Regency (In the Style Of)

Materials and Techniques:

Mahogany

Place of Origin:

United Kingdom

Period:

1820-1829

Date of Manufacture:

circa 1820

Condition:

Seller Location:

London, GB

Reference Number:

Seller: 099571stDibs: LU950617331492

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Gillows of Lancaster & London

It would be difficult to find an antique furniture enthusiast or collector unfamiliar with the name Gillows of Lancaster and London. The British furniture company — which has earned references in the writings of Jane Austen and elsewhere in literature — is renowned for its exceptional quality craftsmanship, and attracted designers such as Thomas Chippendale, Thomas Sheraton and George Hepplewhite in its heyday.

The firm was founded circa 1730 by Robert Gillow (1704–72), who worked as a joiner, housebuilder and overseas merchant before making furniture for homes and export. Gillow established his business in his home city of Lancaster. However, the company later expanded into London in the 1750s after Robert entered into a partnership with his son, Richard, who apprenticed with a London architect and learned the merchant trade in Barbados. Richard had entrepreneurial aptitude — he managed apprenticeships at the firm, ensured that quality materials were a priority, navigated economic hardships, and designed furniture, too. He created seating based on sketches drawn by his cousin, James Gillow, in London.

London’s wealthy upper class took notice of the Gillows’ high-quality furniture, which came to include bedroom furniture, cabinets, a range of seating and other pieces made of rosewood or rich mahogany imported from the West Indies and Jamaica. By the end of the 18th century, the manufacturer was one of the leading furniture makers in Britain. Gillows designed its own furnishings and worked with significant designers; they had in-house upholsterers and cabinetmakers and employed decorative techniques such as “japanning” in their designs.

Gillows of Lancaster and London became Gillow & Co. in 1813 after selling to Redmayne, Whiteside and Ferguson. The company continued to thrive throughout the Georgian era and into the Victorian period, a time that yielded well-known collaborations with Scottish architect and designer Bruce Talbert on a regular basis. High-brow clients of the manufacturer clamored for their inventive and functional designs for tables and writing desks, many of which incorporated whimsical elements such as secret and pop-up drawers. There was also demand for earlier Gillow designs such as Baroque and Gothic Revival pieces as well as adaptations of Chippendale works.

Despite their success, Gillow & Co. entered into financial hardship during the late 1800s with the advent of mass-produced furniture. By 1903, they merged with Waring of Liverpool to become Waring and Gillows and, in 1980, were taken over by Maple & Co. to become Maple, Waring and Gillow. Today, many Gillows of Lancaster and London pieces are in museums throughout the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia.

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