Featured Mystery Inlaid Chair

I just love odd strange antiques that I have never seen before. I just picked up the rather odd chair and can't appear to find anything like it on the net. Lots of nice inlay work, appears to be bone? It looks like the chair was redone at some point. Any information on the "style" , type, country of origin (France maybe), and age would be fantastic. I have tried to look up leg styles to date it, but can't find these? No marking I can see, but may have been hidden under the seat when it was reworked.

Thanks
Rich

 

Beautiful Renaissance Revival ca. 1870 walnut chair. Don't know where you are, but my guess is that this was made in the northeast U.S., probably in New York. Possible makers include Herter Brothers and Pottier & Stymus, although I have not seen this particular style by either manufacturer.

In any case, this chair is by a top level cabinet maker. The inlay is probably satinwood. In my neck of the U.S. Midwest this chair might bring $400-$500 at a high-end auction.

 

Thanks for the information, I am in the Chicago area, actually picked it up at a garage sale. My favorite chair is a photographers posing chair.

 

I wish I had that kind of garage sale around here! Wow! I'd buy chairs like this all day.

 

How about this one, chair/table

 

The chair/table type goes back centuries. This one appears to be an oak, early 20th century revival piece. Nice carving; I particularly like the shell on the back. Might be worth $150 or so to the right person. Another garage sale acquisition?

 

I'd sit in that and feel like a Duke !!

 

Garage sale!

Debora

 

Welcome to Antiquers, @Ranger Rick ! Do you know any of the history of that photographer's posing chair? Was the table also used by the photographer? I collect antique photographs, and am just curious.

 

All I know is came out of an old photographers studio long ago. I think the purpose was that it could be used as a chair or table depending on the scene. The chair has a brass fitting in the seat, it was used for a brace to hold the subject steady during the exposure.

 

May have come from a photgraper's studio but it's actually a monk's bench, which came in 3, 2 and single seat varieties. They date back to medieval England. Yours could have been converted or made in the style of to do a specific job in the studio.

https://www.maryleboneantiques.co.u...-of-antique-oak-monks-bench-armchairs-tables/