Side chair (2) - Oak, Leather

Late 17th-early 18th Century Civic / Guild Chair – Barley Twist Oak,

DESCRIPTION:
Object
This chair is an authentic early civic chair, made for institutional rather than domestic use, dating to the mid-18th century (perhaps older). Such chairs were produced for town halls, guild chambers, council rooms, churches and early civic institutions, where durability, authority and status were required.

Probable Origin:
North-Western Europe, most likely England or the Southern Netherlands (Flanders).

This attribution is based on several consistent construction and stylistic features:
The barley twist (spiral-turned) legs and stretchers, a hallmark of English and Flemish civic furniture from the 18th century
The use of solid oak, typical for public seating rather than domestic furniture
The institutional proportions and restrained decoration, unlike later domestic revival furniture
The presence of hand-forged copper upholstery studs, irregular in shape and spacing, indicating pre-industrial manufacture
Such chairs were produced in small numbers for civic use rather than mass domestic production.

Historical Use:
Chairs of this type were commonly found in:
Town halls / Guild chambers /
Church vestries or council rooms.
Early civic or administrative institutions
They functioned as authority seating rather than comfort seating, explaining their robust construction and restrained design.

Construction & Materials:
Frame: Solid oak, hand-turned and assembled with traditional mortise-and-tenon joinery
Legs & stretchers: Heavy spiral-turned (barley twist) elements front and rear
Seat & back: Upholstered in thick vegetable-tanned cowhide, richly patinated.

I have added additional details of the pegged joint connection. Besides the wooden pegs, the original saw marks from shortening the element are also still visible.

Restorations