Antique Glossary: Chair Terms
By Silas Finch
In countless antique and collecting guides the reader is assumed to know a good deal of technical and semi-technical terms. As part of Collectible Antiques Etc.?s series of small glossaries to help the novice antique collector gain a basic understanding of what can be an alarmingly intricate, if not arcane, pool of knowledge we present another short set of definitions. Today?s batch of terms pertains to chairs and covers letters A through H. The rest of the chair glossary will follow shortly.
Back Stool- Not exactly a chair and not exactly a stool. Back stool is a dated name for any very low backed chair nearly always lacking arms. As a back stool is usually rather small the leg structure must be exceptionally strong. It is common to find back stools with complicated stretcher arrangements meant to add strength to the legs and beauty to the chair.
Ballroom Chair- A popular chair during the Victorian Era. These small pieces were used to provide seating during dances and other crowded events. They were normally constructed with a wide seat and very little in the way of armrests, presumably to accommodate abundant dresses. Antique ballroom chairs are fairly common as they were mass-produced back in the day and often rented for events.
Banister-Back Chair- This style of chair features elaborate high backs constructed from carefully crafted railings and turned supports that run vertically. Banister-back chairs were normally used as dining chairs and so usually lack arm rests. This style was often made during the 18th century.
Belter Chair- A style of chair named for furniture maker John Henry Belter. He revived Rococo style in a big way during the mid-1800s. Belter produced lavishly carved chairs making excellent use of American hardwoods. These chairs can be overbearing but are amazing feats of craftsmanship.
Boston Chair- A high backed armless chair extensively constructed during the 18th century in and around Boston. Usually upholstered with leather or constructed of cane. Curiously, they are often painted red or black.
Brewster Chair- Brewster chairs are heavy and elaborately carved styles of chairs popular in the Plymouth colony and named for colony elder William Brewster. The chairs are noted for their complicated network of railings and stretchers. The seat is normally supported by a row of spindles instead of a having a solid wooden seat.
Carver Chair- A chair very similar to the Brewster chair (see above) but lacking the elaborate railings on the legs. It was named for Governor John Carver who is said to have brought one of the chairs with him on the Mayflower.
Chair-Table- A very unusual piece of furniture. Often called a monk?s chair, the chair?s back is in fact a tabletop mounted on hinges. When the top is in an upright position the piece serves as a chair but the back can be laid flat and secured into place to form a table. They were originally constructed in 1600s
Corner Chair- An unusually shaped chair where the back is centered on one the corners of a square seat. The chair was intended to fit into the corner of a room. They were first produced during the 18th century and enjoyed wide popularity. Women often used them as desk chairs since they accommodated large skirts.
Curule Chair- These chairs are notable for their unusual leg supports. ?X? shaped legs support each side of the chair. The design was borrowed from a common style of ancient Roman seat and so is illogically often called Grecian Cross chairs.
Easy Chair- A generic term for any large, stuffed chair. Nearly all are unsuitable for any purpose other than lounging. Generally the name is reserved for styles of comfortable chairs built after the 17th century
Fiddle-Back Chair- A term often applied to Queen Anne chairs with a wooden back shaped like a violin.
Gondola Chair- A style of chair first introduced in the Louis XV era but revived again later. Gondola chairs feature an arched back that slopes down and towards the front creating small armrests. Normally they have a simple style without intricate woodwork but full of simple charm.
Hitchcock Chair- A chair built in mass during the first half of the 19th century. The simple and solid design usually features wooden back support panels decorated with painted flowers. Often the stenciling on the backs was done in gold. The style was widely copied but Lambert Hitchcock of Connecticut first built them.
Silas Finch is a free-lance writer on a variety of arts and historic topics. He can be reached at Content and Solutions.com.