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A Striking Pair of Walnut Chairs by Gillows
A Striking Pair of Walnut Chairs by Gillows
Dimensions: H: 39.5 in / 100 cm | W: 20.5 in / 52 cm | D: 25 in / 64 cm
PRICE: £12,000
A Striking Pair of Walnut Chairs
By Gillows
Constructed from Walnut, with ebonised details, the chairs of beautifully drawn design, calling on Aesthetic, Gothic, and Greek Revival influences with the subtle splayed front legs, incised carving on the brackets, cabochon ebonised elements, twist fluted uprights, floral relief carving on all surfaces, and a pair of ebonised leopard head finials on the toprails. The chair variously stamped 'gillow.'
English, circa 1875
In many ways, these chairs represent the evolution of the Gillow company as they sought to stay at the forefront of furniture design throughout the second half of the nineteenth century. By the time of the Great Exhibition in 1851, the company had already been in existence for well over a century. In order to attract a new clientele of industrialists, the company closely followed the latest trends in furniture design. At the 1867 Paris exposition, the company exhibited a chair probably designed by Charles Bevan which showcased innovative construction and sober design, later praised by Christopher Dresser (see H. Blairman & Sons 2007, item 11). The present chairs, probably dating from around this time, subtly combine varying influences from the Aesthetic to the Gothic.
Provenance:
Christie's, London, Fine English Furniture, 25 September 1997, lot 86.
Literature:
H. Blairman & Sons. Furniture and Works of Art. London: H. Blairman & Sons, 2007.
Christopher Payne, British Furniture 1820 to 1920: The Luxury Market, Antique Collectors' Club, 2023, p.356, for related Aesthetic and Egyptian manner furniture designed by Chubb & Sons as well as Christopher Dresser.
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