Victorian Carved Mahogany Balloon-Back Side Chair with Needlepoint Seat View Watchlist >
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Lot # G268
System ID # 30065420
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Victorian Carved Mahogany Balloon-Back Side Chair with Needlepoint Seat
A Victorian balloon-back side chair in solid mahogany, dating to roughly 1850–1880 and typical of the Rococo Revival parlor. The pierced balloon back centers a hand-carved crest of fruit and foliage — a rose above a basket of grapes framed by scrolling acanthus — with a secondary carved rose medallion on the mid-rail and a matching rose on the front seat-rail apron. The frame rides on cabriole-style saber legs, and the drop-in seat is worked in black-ground wool needlepoint with a multicolor floral wreath, finished with brass nailhead trim over decorative gimp.
Balloon-back chairs of this pattern furnished American parlors by the thousands during the Rococo Revival, but the carving here runs above the production-grade norm — the crest is cut with real depth and the rose medallions are fully modeled rather than stamped. Construction is solid mahogany throughout, with no secondary woods or veneer, and the black-ground needlepoint is the less-common variant against the more usual cream or red grounds.
CONDITION
Fair. The frame is wobbly at the jointsl. The needlepoint seat is threadbare in areas with a repaired split running through the center of the cover; a previous repair is present. Surface wear and minor losses to the finish and leg tips throughout, consistent with age and use.
DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS
- Overall: 35" H × 18" W × 19" D
- Seat Height: 17"
- Material: Solid mahogany
- Seat: Black-ground wool needlepoint, brass nailhead trim
