Regency Mahogany Metamorphic Armchair

With U shaped backs and circular seats upholstered in brown leather , the backs with carved frames raised on turned legs and casters.

Each with bamboo turned spindle backs and carved down scrolled arms with decorative spindle supports, wood seat rail with loose cushion seat and back raised on turned tapered legs ending on casters. Provenance; Newel Galleries.

A large scale chair with blue leather upholstery. Wing back with scrolled carved arms. The seat with loose cushion. Raised on turned tapered legs. Brass tacking.

Folds into a stick. Wood core covered in brown leather with brass tacks. Hook latch to keep it closed. When closed its 91 inches high. Rungs are 9.25 inches wide.

We are delighted to offer for sale this large and collectable lightly restored William IV circa 1830 Flamed Mahogany, metamorphic armchair which converts into Library steps attributed to Gillows of Lancaster and London. This is a wonderful piece of English history, I have never seen another with such elegant turned front legs, usually they are plainer and straight timber. The seat pad has been upholstered with a grey linen, the steps and raw flamed mahogany and look amazing. This chair is an important and extremely expensive looking thing that commands attention in any setting. You can see the same model made by Gillows currently viewed in the Victorian & Albert Museum, below is an extra from their listing. The period 1800-1825 was a great one for ‘patent’ or ‘metamorphic’ furniture This chair, which transforms into a short set of steps for use with bookshelves, is close to a design for a ‘Library Chair’ published in Rudolph Ackermann’s Repository of the Arts in July 1811, which was made by the London firm of Morgan and Saunders, of Catherine Street, Strand. They were well known for their ingenious furniture, including reading chairs with writing surfaces attached and a great variety of travelling beds...

A set of Regency mahogany metamorphic library steps, this sturdy armchair unfolds to reveal four leather-inset steps which rest on the cresti...

The rectangular padded seat covered in brown leather, opening to reveal a set of library steps, over a solid inlaid seat-rail and ring-turned tapering legs ending in castors. 18in. high, 34 1/2in. wide and 16 1/2in. deep. Opened, 36in. high and 49in. wide. Rooms organized during the Regency period as libraries often had floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. The upper shelves were difficult to reach, so movable library stairs were invaluable. Further, libraries were one of the most important rooms in a stately house, symbol of its owner's wealth, culture and status. As a consequence, designers, architects and cabinet or chair makers devoted much attention to its architecture and decoration. Hence, the emrgence of innovative ideas such as our bench. Enter the Regency era metamorphic library chair/bench (chairs are more common than benches)! The tables, chairs and stools containing library steps were patented in Great Britain by Robert Campbell in 1774 but this innovative chair-based design did not become immediately popular. Once the Regency was established, a neo-classical interpretation of Campbell’s Metamorphic Library Chair concept started to become popular in London. Any early attributions rely heavily on two contemporary sketches...

We are  delighted to offer for sale this lovely antique Arts & Crafts Victorian metamorphic library steps chair in oak with period upho...