Rare 19th Century Painted Armchair Attributed to Gillows

A superb quality pair of open armchairs, after late 18th century designs by Gillows of Lancaster and London, the manufacture attributable to Gillow & Co. English, circa 1880. Why we like them Wonderfully elegant model, looking very delicate but in fact unusually strong – the sign of a skilled craftsman. Interestingly, chairs of this exact model can be seen in a painting by Walter Dendy Sadler (British, 1854-1923), The After Lunch Conversation, 1889, sold at Doyle, New York, 21 May 2024, lot 83. Design These chairs correspond to Gillows’ 'Garforth pattern' - a rare and highly desirable design - which first appeared in 1795 and was probably an adaptation of Georges Jacob's design of circa 1792 for Marie-Antoinette's dairy at Rambouillet. Gillows made the chairs not only in mahogany but also japanned, and they appear to have been particularly popular among the genteel, professional, and merchant classes in the north of England. In 1796, the Earl of Strafford purchased six white and green japanned chairs for Wentworth Woodhouse...

A rare and elegant cream and green painted armchair of George III period, attributable to Gillows of Lancaster and London. England, circa 1800. Highly desirable and sought after mode...

A very elegant and rare 19th century Adam style armchair or desk chair of very generous proportions, newly recovered in splendid Italian archival silk and linen damask, exquisitely f...

A very fine and elegant Regency period set of SIX 'Klismos' side chairs after designs by Thomas Hope, the manufacture attributed to Gillows. England, circa 1810. Why we like them These superb quality, wonderfully stylish Klismos chairs correspond to a design published in Thomas Hope's ‘A Collection of Designs for Household Furniture and Interior Decoration' (1807), visible on the view of the Picture Gallery at the designer's own Duchess Street mansion in London. A particularly fine and rare design, very comfortable and of great scale and proportions, these super smart chairs...

We are delighted to offer for sale this absolutely stunning fully restored hand dyed cigar brown leather period Regency mahogany Chesterfield Porters armchair attributed to Gillows ...

We are delighted to offer for sale this large and collectable fully restored Regency circa 1810-1820 metamorphic armchair which converts into Library steps attributed to Gillows of Lancaster and London This wonderful piece of English history has been on a journey of restoration, the frame has been washed back and French polished by a Victorian trained polisher, the leather upholstery is all new, it is Italian cattle hide, upholstered plain then hand dyed six times, antiqued and sealed, it has a lovely rich reddish brown colour to it. This chair is larger than any other of its type you would have seen, it 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 late nineteenth century painted armchair attributed to Wright and Mansfield, with unusual painted decoration of slogans to the back, with delicately carved diamond form central bac...

We are delighted to offer for sale this large and collectable late Victorian circa 1890-1900 metamorphic armchair which converts into a side table attributed to Gillow's of Lancaster and London. This wonderful piece of English history is very desirable and collectable, it is stamped to the base with a Gillow's serial number and patent number. The frame mechanism operates perfectly and is very smooth. Gillow's were well known for their ingenious furniture, including reading chairs with writing surfaces attached and a great variety of travelling beds...