Pair of Mid-19th Century Continental Antique Turners’ Armchairs, Dated 1843, Made for a Mother and Daughter

This rare and touching pair of mid-nineteenth-century Continental turned armchairs was made for a mother and daughter. Each is dated 1843 and inscribed with its owner’s name.

The two chairs are of the same design but differ in scale, the taller presumably the mother’s. Each has a shaped cresting rail centred by an oval polychrome cartouche beneath a carved crown, inscribed with their names and the date. The cresting is flanked by upright supports rising to turned finials. The arms are bobbin-turned, the plank seats are set on four turned legs, and the legs are united by turned stretchers. The turnings are crisp and generous throughout, showing a skilled hand at the lathe.

Chairs made and named for particular members of a household were treasured objects in many European rural communities. They were often commissioned to mark a marriage, a birth or a coming of age, and handed down as heirlooms. A matched pair made for a mother and her daughter is an especially rare and personal survival. Nearly two centuries on, it still speaks of a family bond that someone thought worth carving in wood.

The pair is striking whether used together at a hearth or placed to either side of a table, and makes a memorable statement piece of European folk furniture.

Provenance: Formerly in the private collection of the proprietor of Holt Antiques, Walsingham Mill, Norfolk.

Material: Turned timber, with polychrome painted decoration to the cartouches.

Condition: Please refer to the images. Each seat shows evidence of very minor repairs. One armrest of one chair has been replaced historically. There is wear to the painted carving bearing the names and date, and general wear consistent with age and use. A further detailed condition report is available on request.

Dimensions: Each approximately 23⅝ in (60 cm) wide; heights 41 in (104 cm) and 37¾ in (96 cm), respectively