William IV Mahogany Carver Chair, Circa 1830

A William IV mahogany carver chair, circa 1830, the spade back…
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A William IV mahogany carver chair, circa 1830, the spade back carver chair with a horizontal splat, bugle arms, baluster front legs and a drop in seat. Height 86 cm, width 54 cm, depth 55 cm

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  • Splat - The central back support between the top rail and the seat in chairs and couches. They may take a variety of forms, and run either horizontally or vertically.
  • Mahogany - Mahogany is a dense, close grained red-coloured timber from the West Indies and Central America. It was first imported into Europe in the the early 18th century and its use continued through the 19th century. It was popular for furniture making because of its strength, the wide boards available, the distinctive grain on some boards, termed flame mahogany and the rich warm colour of the timber when it was polished.. The "flame" was produced where a limb grew out from the trunk of the tree, and this timber was usually sliced into veneers for feature panels on doors, backs and cornices.

    Some terms used to describe mahogany relate to the country from which it originally came, such as "Cuban" mahogany, "Honduras" mahogany etc. However unless the wood has been tested the names assigned are more a selling feature, rather than a true indication of the timber's origin.
  • Circa - A Latin term meaning 'about', often used in the antique trade to give an approximate date for the piece, usually considered to be five years on either side of the circa year. Thus, circa 1900 means the piece was made about 1900, probably between 1895 and 1905. The expression is sometimes abbreviated to c.1900.
  • Baluster (furniture) - An architectural term for a column in a balustrade or staircase, often defined as a "vase shape". The shape is extensively used in furniture and decorative arts.

    In furniture, it is used to describe a chair or table leg turned in that form, or more usually as an inverted baluster, with the bulbous section to the top. Less commonly used to describe a chair back that has the outline of a baluster. A baluster may also be split and applied to the front of a cupboard for ornamentation.

    For ceramics and silver items it is often used to describe the shape of the whole item, rather than a part.

    In Georgian glassware, the shape is commonly seen in the stem of glasses.
  • Drop in Seat - Mostly used on Regency upright chairs, a drop in (or "drop on") seat is an unsprung removable seat where the upholstery is attached to a wooden frame, which is held in place by the sides of the chair, and usually a wooden peg at the front of the chair. An inset upholstered seat is of the same construction, but it sits within a frame whose perimeter includes four sides of the chair.

    Because the upholstery frame was not very deep, the seats were relatively uncomfortable. In the mid 19th century coiled upholstery springs came into use and frame of the chair was used as the upholstery frame, making for a much more comfortable and responsive seat.

    This type of seat was known as an over-upholstered or over-stuffed seat.
  • William Iv - William IV was King of the United Kingdom and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837, and in English furniture design it represented the brief period between the end of the Regency period, and the beginning of the Victorian period.

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