William IV carved rosewood armchair

Rosewood armchair Details:

An exceptional rosewood armchair that we rescued in a very dilapidated state in an auction in Cavan.

Stylistically it dates from the transition period between square William IV lolling chairs and curvilinear Victorian; the carved embellishment strongly suggests Irish.

During the 1820s and into the 1830s the depression that followed the Napoleonic war limited the amount of furniture that was produced in England. In Ireland things were different, the country enjoyed a boom in its economy and fortunes were made. Mahogany armchairs of that period are relatively plentiful but an 1830s rosewood armchair is quite a rare item.

There are two periods in English and Irish furniture when rosewood was popular, firstly the late Regency/William IV period and much later during the late Victorian/Edwardian period.

Rosewood is always a sign of quality and this is an unusually fine example of an early round-back upholstered armchair. The wood is very strong and takes a fine polish when worked. The name, rosewood comes from the rose-like scent that is released when the wood is cut.

The frame has been re-built and the chair re-upholstered with all new traditional stuffing materials and all new springs. It is finished in a royal blue velvet by Ross Fabrics, Leeds.

Much of the restoration work on this particular rosewood armchair was undertaken by a student from the Finnish University of Applied Science, as part of a fourteen-week work placement.

(The photographs were taken before the edging was attached where the fabric meets the wood)

Dimensions:

Overall Height; 100 cms (approx)
Seat Height; 42 cms
Width; 73 cms