Featured A Tale of Two Chippendale Chairs (with a hero)

Now you need to tell those critters that this is not a new cat scratching post --- it is a very old chair that needs to be cherished an respected by all catkind!

 

Joe. They are merely plopping their butts on it. For some reason, they are very attracted to it. Please be assured that they have a number of scratching posts of various materials and sizes and that they have a large completely enclosed back yard with trees and stumps, so they don't go for the furniture.

 

Have they been watching Victoria on PBS?
Maybe they are just laying an early claim to the throne.

Or it could be this .......

 

I'll have to see if I can find it. Throne. Yes. They would like to have thrones, but I have to draw the line somewhere.

Mayhem yes, just no furniture scratching.

 

Hi,
Your chair is GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!! I remember when I was living in Philadelphia in the old Rittenhouse Square. I house I was sharing had a dining room with 30 old Philadelphia Chippendale chairs. I want to take (steal) two of them with me when we moved. The butlers pantry had a locked silver room 12 by 15 ft filled with old sterling. Those were the days to rich. Those Duponts had three houses in the square and the rest down in Delaware.
greg

 

Greg Thanks for your lovely thoughts about my chair and your remembrances. With your rich history of antique collecting, your comments are especially meaningful. I won't tell you my address though, since your thoughts run to stealing Philadelphia Chippendale chairs. A room full of silver you say. I've gone on many a house tour with such rooms but alas the silverware was long gone. I envy you the sight.

 

OH LORD! no scratching!

Obviously they know quality when they see it!
The seat cover is not a problem as it's not original & replaced many times over the years i suspect but the legs/feet, NO SCRATCHING!

Agrees

It is, very nice example of a formal 18th century chair, that ain't a "country" piece.

 

I will be using this chair to work on stuff at my built in secretary, whose top still needs to be stained and protected and reinstalled first. While my cats do not scratch furniture, the chair will probably have some wear while in my care. The auction house only had one photo, and one of the purposes of my posts is to share what I learn. So I thought I would show some features. I have to do two posts. The first are details of the upper section including the beautiful arm details.

 

And now for the seat, legs and bottom. I hope these pictures will help someone else see what @James Conrad saw when he saw the chair.

 

Hi Kiko,
I must say again your chair is drop dead GORGEOUS!!!!! Great job on photography.
greg

 

From the look of things, i am not sure how much you will be using this chair. Seems as though cats have taken possession of this chair and, possession is nine- tenths of the law!

 

Greg This is all due to @James Conrad, though I will take the laudits for the photography.

 

Very nice, the walnut has taken on a reddish hue which often happens to walnut after a few centuries.

 

Well. They will just insist on sitting in my lap while I use it.

 

I noticed that too, which took me by surprise. You never know with photographs what real color something is, but it really blends well with the color of the reddish fir that dominates my living room/dining room with the built in divider, window trim, mantel piece, plate rails, the china cabinet and the doors.

 

My kitty is a sitter, not a scratcher of furniture. He has his posts for that!

BTW, those Philly shells are just lovely - as is the whole piece!

 

Thank you. Your kitty looks very stately in his chair. I love the shells too. I was surprised to see them on the legs too.

 

Yes, that is his KING Chair - a period Pennsylvania high back Windsor!

 

Well he looks very royal. I hadn’t realized that I was buying this Pennsylvania period chair for them. You should have warned me

 

Your two Imperial Furry Majesties have spoken. THEIR chair.