Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 11

Pair of Regency Painted Klismos Chairs

About the Item

A fine pair of bronze-painted and gilt side chairs of Klismos form English, circa 1825. Why we like them A timeless Klismos design, beautifully painted to imitate patinated bronze with ornaments picked out in gold, covered in luxurious cinnamon mohair velvet. A stunning pair of accent chairs. Design These elegant chairs reflect the designs of Royal architect/designer Henry Holland and the furniture supplied under his direction to Samuel Whitbread II for Southill Park, Bedfordshire beginning in 1796. English cabinet-makers whose names appear most frequently in conjunction with Holland include Morel, Marsh, Lichfield and Tatham (F. J. B. Watson, Southill: A Regency House, 1951, p. 23). The construction and decoration of these chairs also relates to a model from Coilsfield House, Scotland, shown in Susan Stuart, Gillows of Lancaster and London 1730-1840, London, 2008, vol. I, p.210. Stuart attributes the chairs to Gillows' London manufactory which was producing high-design Sheraton and George Smith-influenced lion-monopodia furniture for several important country houses in the first decade of the 19th century, including Coilsfield. The distinctive form of these chairs is inspired by ancient Greek 'Klismos' chairs, often depicted on Attic pottery starting from circa 400BC.
  • Similar to:
    Thomas Hope (Designer)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 35.5 in (90.17 cm)Width: 18.25 in (46.36 cm)Depth: 22 in (55.88 cm)Seat Height: 18.5 in (46.99 cm)
  • Sold As:
    Set of 2
  • Style:
    Regency (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    circa 1825
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use. Ready to be placed and used. Decoration refreshed at some point, with signs of wear and use; minor historic structural restorations.
  • Seller Location:
    London, GB
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU1781232656262
More From This SellerView All
  • Pair of Regency Klismos Chairs
    By Gillows of Lancaster & London
    Located in London, GB
    A very chic Regency period pair of 'Klismos' chairs with Greek key decoration to the backs, attributable to Gillows of Lancaster and London, England, circa 1805. Why we like them T...
    Category

    Antique Early 19th Century English Regency Chairs

    Materials

    Upholstery, Hardwood

  • Regency Klismos Hall Chair, Possibly by Gillows
    By Gillows of Lancaster & London
    Located in London, GB
    A very fine example of Regency period mahogany cartouche-back hall chair, of Gillows style and quality. Good antique condition, superb quality, colour and patination. Ready to be pla...
    Category

    Antique Early 19th Century English Regency Chairs

    Materials

    Hardwood

  • Georgian Regency Painted Chairs, 3 Pairs Available
    Located in London, GB
    A charming pair of painted side chairs (THREE PAIRS and a PAIR OF MATCHING ARMCHAIRS are currently available) dating back to the English Regency era, exquisitely hand-painted to simu...
    Category

    Antique Early 19th Century English Regency Chairs

    Materials

    Wood

  • Set of Six Regency Klismos Chairs, attributed to Gillows
    By Gillows of Lancaster & London, Thomas Hope
    Located in London, GB
    A very fine and elegant Regency period set of SIX 'Klismos' side chairs after designs by Thomas Hope, the manufacture attributed to Gillows. A pair of elbow chairs n-suite is availab...
    Category

    Antique Early 19th Century English Regency Dining Room Chairs

    Materials

    Upholstery, Hardwood

  • A Pair of Klismos Chairs, Attributed to George Oakley - Eight Chairs Available
    By George Oakley
    Located in London, GB
    An exceptional pair of Regency period chairs, of well-shaped 'Klismos' outline and rare generous proportions, attributed to George Oakley of Bond Street. London, circa 1810. Four pairs available: to purchase a set 8 eight chairs, please, select quantity 4 pairs. Priced per pair. Why we like them: With its front legs unusually splayed in two dimensions, this elegant model is one the most sophisticated examples from the Regency period. Unusual in their form, subtle in ornamentation and outstanding in quality, these chairs display the decorative techniques of cabinetmaking, rather than joinery. The veneers and greek-key brass-inlays cover the seatrails and front legs joints, a highly unusual feature for chairs, that demonstrates the superb cabinetmaking skills of the craftsman or a high-end workshop origin. Attribution: Extremely rare with this 'double-splayed' form of front legs, deriving from the ancient Greek 'Klismos' seats, these chairs feature exquisite brass inlays throughout, and share similarities with a number of pieces of furniture traditionally associated with the oeuvre of George Oakley (1773-1840), one of the most prominent London cabinetmakers of the era. The distinctive scrolling foliage pattern of the inlays on the back tablets of these chairs is identical to those adorning the top of a spider-leg sofa table, illustrated in F. Collard, Regency Furniture, Woodbridge, 1987, p. 317, and in Mallett, The age of Matthew Boulton - Masterpieces of neo-classicism, London, 2000, pp. 112-113. This table belongs to a group of furniture firmly attributed to George Oakley and most likely originates from the same workshop as the present chairs. An identically decorated daybed, en-suite with the present chairs, is illustrated in the same Mallett's catalogue, pp. 94-95. A magnificent centre table, featuring the same set of inlays, certainly from the same workshop and possibly part of the same suite with the present chairs, was sold Christie's, New York, 29 January 1994, lot 342. An identical pair of chairs is illustrated in Ronald Phillips, Fine Antique English Furniture 2018, pp. 158-159. George Oakley: The firm of George Oakley produced stylish furniture in the Grecian taste during the decades spanning the turn of the 19th century, and was one of the pioneers of ‘Buhl’ inlay, a form of decoration that regained popularity during the early years of the Regency. Fashionable materials such as rosewood, mahogany and calamander were often used in Oakley's furniture, combined with inlays of satinwood and ebony, and brass stars and bands of metalwork. The high-class furniture made by George Oakley earned him a royal appointment and a contemporary reputation for fine craftsmanship. Visits by the royal family to Oakley's Bond St Showrooms are recorded in the Morning Chronicle of 1799. In May ‘the ROYAL FAMILY, with the PRINCE and PRINCESS of ORANGE did Mr. OAKLEY the honor of viewing his Printed Furniture...
    Category

    Antique Early 19th Century English Regency Chairs

    Materials

    Brass

  • Pair of Regency Chairs, attributed to George Bullock
    By George Bullock
    Located in London, GB
    Collectors' choice - a very fine and rare Regency period pair of mahogany chairs, firmly attributed to George Bullock. England, circa 1815. Why we like them These superb quality, wo...
    Category

    Antique Early 19th Century English Regency Chairs

    Materials

    Hardwood

You May Also Like
  • Pair of Regency Ebonized Klismos Side Chairs
    Located in Essex, MA
    Each with a curved wide seat rail with grape leaves and grapes central decoration, upholstered seat, raised on exaggerated saber legs. Provenance; Estate of William Hodgins, Interior...
    Category

    Antique 1810s English Regency Chairs

    Materials

    Wood

  • Stylish Pair of 1940's Hollywood Regency Painted Klismos Chairs
    Located in San Francisco, CA
    A stylish pair of 1940's Hollywood regency ivory-painted and parcel-gilt Klismos armchairs; each incurved crest with Greek key fret band above a padded b...
    Category

    Vintage 1940s American Armchairs

  • Pair of Italian Hollywood Regency Klismos Chairs
    Located in Houston, TX
    Stunning pair of Italian Hollywood Regency klismos style chairs. These chic high style Italian side chairs are painted a soft gray/green with gilt accents and have great splayed legs or saber legs. Our vintage Klismos chairs...
    Category

    Vintage 1960s Italian Classical Greek Side Chairs

    Materials

    Wood

  • Pair 19th Century Regency Klismos Hooved Chairs
    Located in Houston, TX
    Pair of 19th Century Regency Klismos chairs. These elegant chairs feature ebonized hardwood frames, classical gilded detail, carved pied-de-biche and newly upholstered cream silk sat...
    Category

    Antique Early 19th Century English Regency Side Chairs

    Materials

    Silk, Hardwood, Giltwood

  • Regency Painted Chair
    Located in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire
    A Regency chair with finely painted chinoiserie decoration. Old metal braces - please see photo. Margaret Jourdain's - Regency Furniture illustrates a very similar chair: Fig. 94
    Category

    Antique Early 19th Century English Regency Chairs

    Materials

    Beech

  • Klismos Chairs
    Located in Sturminster Marshall, Dorset
    These chairs are made to order and can be any number as required but are quoted for here as a set of 12. A design developed by the Greeks in the 5th century BC, gaining popularity throughout the 4th century, the Klismos chair...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary English Regency Dining Room Chairs

    Materials

    Leather, Wood

Recently Viewed

View All