A fine Commonwealth carved oak panel back armchair, dated 1657

the arcaded cresting rail with initials 'E.K' and date, the uprights carved with guilloche, the back carved with flower head motifs and acorns on a stipple ground bordered by punch work, with shaped arms and boarded seat, on square and ring turned legs, reverse of back branded 'I.W' and with old restorations including a metal brace

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE
R. W. Symonds, Furniture Making in 17th and 18th Century England, London, 1954, p. 47, fig. 69

This chair is very similar to one illustrated by Symonds (op. cit.) which is dated 1682 and was subsequently sold, An Important Private Collection of Sixteenth, Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Furniture formed under the guidance of R. W. Symonds, these rooms, 28th May 1982, lot 14. The chair back of the offered lot also features similar motifs and comparable letters and numerals to those that appear on two panels offered in The Oak and Country Sale, Sotheby`s Olympia, 26th April 2005, lot 96. These panels were dated 1666. They also featured stylised cornflowers, roses, marigolds and strawberries. In addition all three feature punch work and have similar incised chevron banding. Whilst not possible to attribute the two chairs and panels to the same hand it would be a logical assertion in the light of these shared stylistic characteristics.