Antique French Gothic Revival Carved Oak Pair of Tall Back Armchairs, 1880

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Antique French Gothic Revival Carved Oak Pair of Tall Back Armchairs, 1880

About the Item

A pair of oak armchairs in the Gothic Revival style from France circa 1880. These tall armchairs embody the essence of the Gothic as each chair has a long lean line that accentuates the vertical nature. The Gothic is an architectural style first seen as a solution to the problem posed by enormously tall structures needed to support extraordinary windows of stained glass. The arches come to a point and narrow vertical supports of stone are interspersed within larger ribbons to allow large quantities of light to flow through the structure. After the problem was solved architecturally the design aesthetic moved into furniture design. Many storage pieces and seating were built using the Gothic style through the centuries. Almost all the surviving pieces are predominantly in oak as every country had enormous forests filled with oak that were readily accessible. Because oak is a strong dense timber it was well suited to the carving necessary to achieve the vertical lines that define the Gothic taste. Please look closely at the handsome proportion of these chairs. The back legs and sides are each made from a single piece of oak that frame the decorative design of the open back. The front legs beneath the arms are also each of a separate piece of oak and the artisan who made these chairs took care to shave the corners of the legs in order to soften the edges to add a level of refinement. The arms are laid flat atop the front legs and are attached with pegs to the back in a manner that is reminiscent of that seen in choir stall seating in grand cathedrals. The front frieze beneath each seat is carved with a repeated design to add visual balance and relation to the open work carving of the chair backs. Both chairs have a raised finial at the top of each vertical support and the crest rail is crenellated similar to the top of a castle wall. The open back of each of the armchairs contains a pair of arches with a pair of three sided ovals enclosing a triangle all carved with great care to achieve a three dimensional depth. The legs of the chairs are joined with horizontal "H" shaped stretchers and these are used to provide strength and durability. As is usual with chairs of this type the seats are flat pieces of timber and would have had cushions. The original cushions have been long lost so new ones have been provided with a distinctive cut velvet in a design that complements the open structure of the Gothic originals. These chairs were first placed in the entry hall of a country residence southwest of Paris where they provided a convenient stopping place before venturing outside. Now the key to effective use is to treat them as pieces of sculpture and use their distinctive shape and profile as a catalyst in an interior.

Dimensions:
Height: 53 in (134.62 cm)Width: 24 in (60.96 cm)Depth: 20 in (50.8 cm)
Style:
Gothic Revival (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Oak,Carved
Place of Origin:
France
Period:
19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1880
Condition:
Seller Location:
Houston, TX
Reference Number:
Seller: BJ1991stDibs: U1202138668623