E. W. Godwin Attributed, Aesthetic Walnut Side Chair with Horizontal Back Rails
Price on Application
This item is price on application due to its rarity and importance.
Attributed to E. W. Godwin, this side chair aligned to the Aesthetic Movement (circa 1860 to 1890), c.1880. The chair has horizontal supports to the back, framed within the side uprights, with a later upholstered seat, tapering front legs and a flat front stretcher with incised line details.
The side stretchers are turned and unite with the elegantly splayed back legs. Where the back supports meet the seat, there is a pronounced step which thickens into the lower back legs, giving stronger joints for the seat rails and stretchers.
The back layout is reminiscent of a chair design reproduced in William Watt’s Art Furniture, Plate 3.* The framing of horizontal back supports is also recorded across a number of Godwin chair designs illustrated in Susan Weber Soros, The Secular Furniture of E. W. Godwin, including the example on page 121, illustration 155.** Uses of framed horizontal back supports also appear in further numerous examples.***
References / Provenance
*William Watt, Art Furniture from Designs by E. W. Godwin and Others, Plate 3.
** Susan Weber Soros, The Secular Furniture of E. W. Godwin, p. 121, illustration 155.
*** Susan Weber Soros, The Secular Furniture of E. W. Godwin, illustrations 112, 113, 115, 116, 117, 125, 140, 140-a, 141-1 and 162.
Additional Measurements: Seat Height 32cm / 12.6"
Width: 16.54 in (42 cm)
Depth: 18.5 in (47 cm)
1880-1889
