Early British Chairs and Seats 1500 to 1700
by Tobias Jellinek
Format: Hardback, 320 pages
Date: 2009
Publisher: Antique Collector’s Club
ISBN: 978-1851495818
Status: Out of Print
Date Read: 16-Feb-22
Rating: âââââ
If you are reading this, you probably know I study and reproduce (sometimes loosely) historical furniture. Particularly Anglo-American styles from the 15th to 20th Century. Somehow, I have specialized in seating.
There was no plan involved in this choice. In fact, chairs were always somewhat intimidating. As a large person, I’ve destroyed my share (and probably some of your share) of seating. I wasn’t keen to subject my handiwork to the same forces of destruction. Especially with some of the complex joinery involved in some types of chairs.
And yet…here we are. My portfolio has hundreds of items in it, but I am known (especially in SCA circles) for my seating. I have made dozens of benches, stools and chairs and my todo list has many more on them. Sigh.
Details: The author, previously unknown to me, is a well respected, long-time operator in the UK antiques world, having spent 5+ decades buying, selling and restoring old English Oak furniture. His goal with the book is to assist the aspiring collector just beginning their journey into the world of collecting antique furniture.
As is true with many subjects, the best way to learn about something is to buy some. Learning what you have, how to maintain and repair it, etc. Will focus your research on the important, practical matters in a way no amount of reading can do. The author’s assertion here that the first step is to ascertain the age of the piece.
Therefore, the volume starts with a description of the applicable styles, what genuine aging looks like: patina, wear, repairs, etc. From there he describes the taxonomy he’s imposed on the various types of seating as a way grouping together chairs of the same type. There are a total of 31 types represented.
All of the chairs shown are from public and private collections in the UK or private collections in the US. Since he helped establish many of the private collections, he had unusually good access to those pieces. In order to show them to the best effect, each chair was photographed specifically for inclusion in the volume by his photographer. As a result, all the chairs are shown from a similar perspective and with the same lighting, etc.
Each type has a brief summary describing when and where that type was common, etc. Notes accompanying the actual pieces describe the dimensions, estimated (or exact, if known) age, the collection in which it resides, and a few brief comments about condition, etc. He’s not attempting deep scholarship here, think of it as more of a survey of the field.
Personally, I found this book to be perfectly suited to my needs. There are dozens of examples of each type of seating, arranged chronologically with in the type. With enough details and context that an experienced woodworker could attempt a reproduction. Or at least find inspiration.
For the Scadian, one of the 31 types represented here are the so-called Glastonbury chairs. He shows 8 of the 13 known to be period examples. I have a lot more to say on this subject, as you might imagine. I will cover that separately.
Acquisition: So, I have convinced you this is a great book and you want a copy? Hmm, good luck. Like many good books from the Antique Collector’s Club (Victor Chinnery’s Oak Furniture – The British Tradition leaps to mind), it had a limited run and is out of print and is now quite hard to find.
A copy very occasionally pops up on Amazon or ABE, but you have to catch it. I also had a search set on eBay which would email me when one got listed. The ones I saw ran between $250 and $750. Ouch, not even a bibliophile like myself could go there. Then one came along at $40. BAM. That’s more like it. I clicked Buy It Now so fast my credit card took stun damage.
The copy was described as “Very Good”. I would call my copy…well loved. That’s graded “Acceptable” in the used book trade. Meaning it’s fine, you can read it, there’s nothing wrong with it, but it’s not pretty or collectable.
This one is an old library copy sans dust jacket with some shelf wear, but the inside is clean and the binding is tight. So, it’s a solid, usable book. That’s good because this is the sort of reference that I will use. And, I am much more likely to use it when it came at $40 than if it cost $250 (or more).
It old seating is your thing, it’s worth hunting for this one. Sorry if I just sent you on an epic quest.
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