A set of four Victorian mahogany balloon back chairs, circa…
click the photo to enlarge
A set of four Victorian mahogany balloon back chairs, circa 1890, of typical waisted form with a rounded crest, and a scrolled mid rail with a pierced floral motif above a shaped stuffover seat in olive green velvet, on a cabriole leg. Height 86.5 cm

You must be a subscriber, and be logged in to view price and dealer details.

Subscribe Now to view actual auction price for this item

When you subscribe, you have the option of setting the currency in which to display prices to $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

This item has been sold, and the description, image and price are for reference purposes only.
  • 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.
  • Rail - A term used by cabinet makers for the horizontal sections of the frame of an item such as a chair or settee which have a front rail, a back rail and two side rails, and also on a door or carcase, where the rails are joined to the vertical framings.
  • 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.
  • Victorian Period - The Victorian period of furniture and decorative arts design covers the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901. There was not one dominant style of furniture in the Victorian period. Designers used and modified many historical styles such as Gothic, Tudor, Elizabethan, English Rococo, Neoclassical and others, although use of some styles, such as English Rococo and Gothic tended to dominate the furniture manufacture of the period.

    The Victorian period was preceded by the Regency and William IV periods, and followed by the Edwardian period, named for Edward VII (1841 ? 1910) who was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India for the brief period from 1901 until his death in 1910.
  • Pierced Decoration - Ornamental woodwork with part of the background cut through and removed to produce an open-work pattern.

This item has been included into following indexes:

Visually similar items

A Victorian mahogany balloon back chair, 19th century, in the French manner with a circular floral carved back to a button padded seat with a serpentine profile and raised on cabriole legs, upholstered in sage green velvet. Height 90 cm. Width 48 cm. Depth

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

A pair of early-19th century walnut side chairs, the backs elegantly pierced and carved with acanthus leaf, cabriole legs. Purchased from John Dixon Antiques. Height 88 cm

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

A Victorian walnut balloon back chair, later 19th century, in the French manner with a shaped, waisted back, a pierced and carved crest and a similarly embellished mid rail, a serpentine stuffover seat and raised on channel grooved cabriole legs terminatin

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

A set of six Victorian balloon back chairs, mid 19th century, in the French manner, the waisted chairs with carved vegetal crests and pierced similarly embellished mid rails above buttoned stuffover seats upholstered in rich moss green velvet, raised on sl

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.