Hall chairs in block-printed, plant-dyed antique linen

This handsome pair of hall chairs, reupholstered from the frame up using traditional techniques and materials - horse hair, wool and linen scrim - is now available. Dating from the mid to late 1600s/early 1700s, they are finished in an 1800s linen which was plant-dyed using indigo and weld to achieve a jewel-like green. We then over-printed, by hand, a timeless, earth red diamond design; the colours informed by - and chosen to chime with - the painted cartouche on each chair’s front stretcher.

The chairs are walnut - either French or Italian - and were made in the period between Charles II’s restoration in 1660 and the death of Queen Anne in 1714. The frames are redolent of C17th backstools, but the chairs are higher-backed with unusual curved tops. Chair legs are square and plain - interestingly, wooden cover strips have been applied to the front and back legs, where the tenon ends would be visible. This sort of enhancement was evident in Dutch furniture from around 1690. 

Both chairs have ornate, hand-carved front stretchers. The design is foliate with a central cartouche containing a red and green painted motif of either a lion or a mythical beast; most likely a family crest. The initials CGS are also present. The small, star-like imprints in the stretchers’ flat areas are decorative tooling marks. 

This beautiful and unusual pair of hall chairs can be viewed, by appointment, at our workshop in Thorncombe, Dorset.

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