
Helena Gumley
Head of Sale Carpets and Tapestries
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Sold for £17,920 inc. premium
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Head of Sale Carpets and Tapestries

Sale Coordinator for Furniture, Sculpture, Rugs & Tapestries
Provenance
The present lot was purchased by the father of the current owner and vendor from Bonhams, New Bond Street, 31 January 2019, The Olive Collection, lot 41.
This chair is one of a select group which demonstrate many Yorkshire regional design features in terms of form, detail and construction, but predominantly exhibit distinctive linear carving, which is generally attributed to Burnley, Lancashire. Three related chairs are illustrated in V. Chinnery, Oak Furniture: The British Tradition, 2016, p. 433, fig's. 4:128, 129 & 129a. A fourth, in the collection of Sir George Thursby, Ormerod House, Burnley, is illustrated M. Harris & Sons, The English Chair, 1948, p.78, pl. VIII. See also D. Knell, English Country Furniture, 1500-1900, 2000, p. 323, colour pl. 75.
A pair of chairs in the collection at Rufford Old Hall, Lancashire, are virtually identical to this lot, with one main exception. Namely, the lower back rail to each chair is carved with the date '1689', along with the initials 'E O' to one [NT 783878], and 'M O' to the other [NT 783879]. The two sets of initials, along with a date, imply that the chairs were made to commemorate a marriage. The chair initialled 'E O' was exhibited 'Oak Furniture from Lancashire and Lake District', Stable Court Exhibition Galleries, Temple Newsam, Leeds, 26 September - 27th October 1973, [no. 24].