LATE 18TH/EARLY 19TH CENTURY

Chairs of this type are sometimes referred to as 'hedge' chairs and epitomised the tradition of hand shaping cleft or naturally shaped thin branches of wood to form the framework of a chair which combines huge tensile strength with comfort and 'fit for purpose' design. The nine long spindles in the back show the facets of their manufacture with a drawer knife and the maker has hammered them through the seat, allowing them to project in a way which creates them not as a careless act, but as a strengthening device which is a powerful reminder of how this stick form of construction works. The three plain under arm spindles each side are similarly made with a draw knife and mortice through the separate arms which are, in turn, through-morticed by the long outer back spindles in the manner of Windsor chairs made in Ireland. (See Claudia Kinmonth, Irish Country Furniture, Yale 1993 pp. 38-39) This contrasts with English Windsors where the arm continues around the back. The curved top rail is made from a shaped bent branch of oak and the back spindles are morticed and wedged through this again to give great strength to the joint.