A 19th century low back Windsor chair

A fine 19th century English Windsor chair, of attractive low-back form, made in ash and elm. The chair has a beautifully figured elm saddle seat, beneath an elegant hoop back with turned spindles and a distinctive pierced central splat. The shaped arms are supported on finely turned balusters, while the well-turned ash legs are united by a characteristic crinoline stretcher.

The rich, mellow colour and naturally aged surface give this antique Windsor chair considerable country-house charm. The combination of elm for the seat and ash for the bow, spindles and underframe is typical of traditional English Windsor chair construction.

This example is most likely to have originated in Buckinghamshire, particularly the High Wycombe area, one of the principal centres of Windsor chair making in England during the 18th and 19th centuries. High Wycombe and the surrounding Thames Valley developed a renowned furniture-making tradition, producing Windsor chairs for both domestic and country-house use.

An excellent antique English Windsor armchair, suitable as a desk chair, dining chair or occasional chair, and particularly appealing to collectors of English country furniture.