Windsor armchair

Date1770-1800

MediumYew, walnut or elm, and ash

DimensionsOH: 44 3/4"; OW: 21 3/4"; OD: 19 7/8"; SD: 16 1/2"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1973-348

DescriptionComb back Windsor armchair; curved and rounded crest rail with flattened arch supported by eight spindles attached to the three part arm rail; arm rail consists of two curved elements that meet in the center of the back, topped with a shaped crest; blunted arm terminals; arm rail supported by abbreviated S shaped arm supports and twelve spindles; D shaped seat scooped on top surface for sitter; four splayed legs with short baluster over tall baluster over ball and feet turnings; side and medial stretchers swollen in centers.
Label TextWindsor chairs are characterised by their shaped, plank seats with the legs and back elements tenoned into the seat. Chairs of this sort appear in 18th century English paintings and prints being used in gardens and on porches but they also were used inside homes. Most Windsor chairs were produced of multiple types of wood for the different elements (seat, legs, back arms, and spindles) based on the properties of those woods and painted to unify the appearance and protect the surface. Green was a common early color. First produced in England, American Windsor chairmakers copied the form imburing their products with distinct regional design characteristics.