Antique-shop.com

Antiques! => Antique Questions Forum => Topic started by: LoGiCa on March 11, 2013, 11:36:25 AM

Title: Help me identify these 2 pieces of furniture
Post by: LoGiCa on March 11, 2013, 11:36:25 AM
Hi, I need help identifyting these two pieces of furniture. They belonged to my grandparents who lived in the south east of the U.K. (sevenoaks to be exact).

Alot of their furniture was sold to Knole House http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knole_House (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knole_House) but these two pieces were given to my mother.

Any ideas on the age and value of them? they both badly need restoring.

Thanks for the help

Hi res images can be seen here

http://imageshack.us/a/img10/3491/sdc12290s.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img46/5474/sdc12289v.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img826/9152/sdc12288.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img507/3629/sdc12287.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img560/9012/sdc12285.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img163/6393/sdc12284z.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img826/1330/sdc12283x.jpg
Title: Re: Help me identify these 2 pieces of furniture
Post by: bigwull on March 11, 2013, 11:50:21 AM
may i suggest you try to upload your pics directly onto the forum...there are members on here who through no fault of their own...will not be able to see these pics as they are still living in the dark ages...i.e. dial up...as to the oblong seat...its got a rattan top on an oak frame...and its in need of a lot of restoration work...me personally..i,d be chopping it up for firewood...the same goes for the chair....
Title: Re: Help me identify these 2 pieces of furniture
Post by: LoGiCa on March 11, 2013, 12:35:58 PM
Thanks for the reply. I have uploaded the pictures as suggested.
Title: Re: Help me identify these 2 pieces of furniture
Post by: mart on March 11, 2013, 12:40:12 PM
Chair may go back to 18th century just from looking at the seat on it !!  If indeed the wood is as thick as it looks !! Both are pretty common styles for country furniture !! The bench possibly could be restored if you are handy and could recane it yourself !! The chair,, unless you just want to patch it up for a memento,, it would not be worth the cost to have someone try to restore it !! Its just too far gone I think to justify the cost !!  Value of these is minimal at best !! If it were me I would have someone use the bottom and restyle the chair into a stool that is true to the period just for a keepsake !! Could possibly reuse some of the other parts !!
Title: Re: Help me identify these 2 pieces of furniture
Post by: ghopper1924 on March 11, 2013, 12:44:27 PM
18th century?? I would think that would be worth restoring no matter what,  just because of age alone!
Title: Re: Help me identify these 2 pieces of furniture
Post by: mart on March 11, 2013, 12:52:53 PM
Thats just a guess from what I could see on the imageshack pics !!! And only waited for two of those !! There is quite a bit of wood missing from the back of the chair as well as some separation of joints !! Enlarge the pic of the back of the chair and I think you can see what I am talking about !!
Title: Re: Help me identify these 2 pieces of furniture
Post by: ghopper1924 on March 11, 2013, 01:18:17 PM
I guess my preference would be to restore. I have onley one piece that old or older. It's a box from 1620 that was slightly altered in the 19th century. Totally worth restoring even though it's just a box!
Title: Re: Help me identify these 2 pieces of furniture
Post by: mart on March 11, 2013, 01:34:30 PM
Well,, it could be done I guess, but with the chunk of wood missing and damage to top rail/crest might be costly !! Still wouldn`t add to value enough to be worth it in my opinion !!
Title: Re: Help me identify these 2 pieces of furniture
Post by: ghopper1924 on March 11, 2013, 01:40:45 PM
Yep,  just a matter of opinion!
Title: Re: Help me identify these 2 pieces of furniture
Post by: Ipcress on March 11, 2013, 02:34:03 PM
Chair may go back to 18th century just from looking at the seat on it !!  If indeed the wood is as thick as it looks !! Both are pretty common styles for country furniture !! The bench possibly could be restored if you are handy and could recane it yourself !! The chair,, unless you just want to patch it up for a memento,, it would not be worth the cost to have someone try to restore it !! Its just too far gone I think to justify the cost !!  Value of these is minimal at best !! If it were me I would have someone use the bottom and restyle the chair into a stool that is true to the period just for a keepsake !! Could possibly reuse some of the other parts !!

Do you not think the chair is more likely early 19th ? That style of ring and vase turned leg...

Only nominal value though
Title: Re: Help me identify these 2 pieces of furniture
Post by: mart on March 11, 2013, 03:23:34 PM
Could well be later !! Like I said I just looked at a couple of pics on imageshack and didn`t see much of it !!  Was basing that possibility on the wood seat !!  These pics don`t show it well !! Very thick and wide growth rings !!
Title: Re: Help me identify these 2 pieces of furniture
Post by: LoGiCa on March 11, 2013, 03:45:53 PM
Thanks for the help guys. I added links to hi-res pictures in the original post if any of you wanted to take a better look.
Title: Re: Help me identify these 2 pieces of furniture
Post by: mart on March 11, 2013, 03:50:27 PM
Excellent !! I would like a few others to take a look  !!  Good to get several opinions !!!
Title: Re: Help me identify these 2 pieces of furniture
Post by: bigwull on March 11, 2013, 04:05:51 PM
still firewood... ;D
Title: Re: Help me identify these 2 pieces of furniture
Post by: frogpatch on March 11, 2013, 06:26:49 PM
That is a low back Windsor chair or "smokers bow." It appears to be early 19th century. From what I learned researching one of my own that the legs on the earlier versions came right through the seat. The fact that the seat is one plank and shaped is an indication of its age. These were made in many forms over many years. Put "Low Back Windsor Chair" into Google Images and you will see what I mean. I would leve it as is and use it. It really does not look bad at all to me. The split in the top rail is normal. Mart apparently is seeing more damage than I am. She has younger eyes.
Title: Re: Help me identify these 2 pieces of furniture
Post by: bigwull on March 11, 2013, 06:40:42 PM
That is a low back Windsor chair or "smokers bow." It appears to be early 19th century. From what I learned researching one of my own that the legs on the earlier versions came right through the seat. The fact that the seat is one plank and shaped is an indication of its age. These were made in many forms over many years. Put "Low Back Windsor Chair" into Google Images and you will see what I mean. I would leve it as is and use it. It really does not look bad at all to me. The split in the top rail is normal. Mart apparently is seeing more damage than I am. She has younger eyes.
its not her younger eyes,its what she,s got them looking through....$2 specials.... ;D
Title: Re: Help me identify these 2 pieces of furniture
Post by: frogpatch on March 11, 2013, 06:50:00 PM
I bought mine for 5.00 in Walmart. Mart is at least a couple hours younger than me. Plus living down there in Lone Star country gave her eyes better exercise. Looking out for all those rattlesnakes and coyotes helps your eyes to last longer.
Title: Re: Help me identify these 2 pieces of furniture
Post by: mart on March 11, 2013, 06:58:52 PM
Would someone find that imageshack pic that shows the back close up and post it here !!   Where one of the back rails fits into the crest there is a good size chunk of wood that is gone so nothing to glue into,, also along the top of the crest back !! Loose joints are to be expected and pose no huge problem !! But filling and matching missing wood might be !!  I have done it before but its time consuming and slow !!  Just not what I would want to pay someone else to do !! And I don`t know what the going rate would be in the UK to have it done !!  All I am saying is that having all that done and restoring the chair would not add enough value to make it worthwhile except as a family piece and keepsake !!

We don`t have many rattlers Frogpatch !!  Just Cottonmouths !!  Mean darn snakes !!
Title: Re: Help me identify these 2 pieces of furniture
Post by: Ipcress on March 11, 2013, 06:59:47 PM
I get the impression that the splats are newer than the back and seat.
Title: Re: Help me identify these 2 pieces of furniture
Post by: bigwull on March 12, 2013, 02:09:55 AM
This chair.back.."firewood"...needs help.....any better Mart...
Title: Re: Help me identify these 2 pieces of furniture
Post by: mart on March 12, 2013, 06:36:41 AM
Bigwull to the rescue !!  Yes thats what I mean !! I just don`t think it would be worth trying to restore this one !! And thats something I rarely say !!
Title: Re: Help me identify these 2 pieces of furniture
Post by: cogar on March 12, 2013, 08:26:26 AM
18th century?? I would think that would be worth restoring no matter what,  just because of age alone!

I agree, ghopper, that chair is a beauty.

But no repairing, just a good cleaning with Murphy's Oil Soap and a once-over lightly with some Old English "dark".

Look at the grain of the wood, seat n' backrest, ..... that was cross-cut out of a big log.
Title: Re: Help me identify these 2 pieces of furniture
Post by: mart on March 12, 2013, 10:02:43 AM
Indeed it was Cogar !! Old growth !!
Title: Re: Help me identify these 2 pieces of furniture
Post by: cogar on March 12, 2013, 11:42:45 AM
I don't recall ever seeing a chair made thataway.

A (milk) stool, ... yes, ... but not a fancy chair.
Title: Re: Help me identify these 2 pieces of furniture
Post by: bigwull on March 12, 2013, 01:15:46 PM
I don't recall ever seeing a chair made thataway.

A (milk) stool, ... yes, ... but not a fancy chair.
and you,ll probably never see another one cause they,ll have went up the lum...there,s not a lb of it hanging the right way... :..and i did,nt know they sold rose tinted specials in Wall-Mart...
Title: Re: Help me identify these 2 pieces of furniture
Post by: frogpatch on March 12, 2013, 01:39:59 PM
Ooooh! That is a bad break. I used to do those repairs and they take forever to detail and even longer to dry. Especially if you use oil colors. Put it against the wall.
Mart, no cottonmouths this far north. Just big mouths, loud mouths and potty mouths. We do have timber rattlers and copperheads but they are rare. I saw a copperhead once when I was fishing. I wanted to use the same windfall to cross the brook that he did. I jumped up and down until he fell off. I went up stream and he went down.
Title: Re: Help me identify these 2 pieces of furniture
Post by: bigwull on March 12, 2013, 01:51:15 PM
Ooooh! That is a bad break. I used to do those repairs and they take forever to detail and even longer to dry. Especially if you use oil colors. Put it against the wall.
Mart, no cottonmouths this far north. Just big mouths, loud mouths and potty mouths. We do have timber rattlers and copperheads but they are rare. I saw a copperhead once when I was fishing. I wanted to use the same windfall to cross the brook that he did. I jumped up and down until he fell off. I went up stream and he went down.
you probably frightened him off...as he was more afraid of you than you of him.....maybe... ;D..
Title: Re: Help me identify these 2 pieces of furniture
Post by: mart on March 12, 2013, 07:33:53 PM
Down toward Sulphur River there are a few Timber rattlers And we do have Copperheads here but I just relocate them !!  I bought a house in a Cypress Springs Lake subdivision a few years back and when I was working on it I walked out on the deck a little after dark !! Thre was an old piece of carpet they had to wipe shoes on and I saw what I thought was a string that had pulled out of it !!  I started to pick it up but then decided I had better get a flashlight and look since the area was all wooded !! And I did,, I saw it was a small snake so I just got a stick and swept him into a plastic coffee can,, put the lid on and thought no more about it till next morning !! When I looked it was a small Timber Rattler and he was one PO`d little snake !! So I sat the can in the back of my truck and took him to the city lake which was on my way to town and found him a new home !!
Cleared out a bar catching a small copperhead once but thats another story !!  Tough guys !!  Yeah !!
Title: Re: Help me identify these 2 pieces of furniture
Post by: bigwull on March 12, 2013, 07:50:24 PM
My pet hate is Rats ans Slugs...kill them on sight...nothing like seeing a big black Slug dissolve before your eyes when you pour salt on it...but Rats...Ooooo I hate them with a vengeance... i,m not too keen... on Hooded Crows either...my first encounter with a rat came about when i was 14...me and a mate were guddling for trout...and we were standing in a really nice little burn that we knew...had lots of trout..all around the 1lb mark,,,we were bare footed trousers rolled up to our knees...I put my hands under the bank feeling around for mr trout...they would sit there in the shade,I could,nt see him but i felt him..I slid my left hand over his head whilst i put my right on his tail...then grabbed and pulled him out....but it was no trout..it was a Rat...I let out such a yell, it could,ve awoken the dead,..I jumped out of the burn and fell head first into a patch of jaggy nettles......that was the last time I ever went guddling...for a trout I could,nt see....