massiergillows

The Headington Stool

A very well proportioned mahogany William IV revolving stool. Probably the original upholstery.

On the underside of the base, written in pencil is, “1926, GH Williams, 60 London, Headington [?] Oxford”. This information leads to George Henry Williams who were well known bicycle retailers and repairers from 1912 to 2006. Their first shop was at 60 London Road. Subsequently renumbered in the 1930s to 138-140. They were at these premises until 1955, when they moved to 115. Number 60 was demolished in 2006.

https://www.headington.org.uk/history/shops/ghwilliams.htm

Rare Samuel and Charles Younge Chamberstick, 1807-1813

The company, run by two brothers, evolved from that of their father John Trevers Younge (1720 – 1807). He had been in partnership with Edmund Greaves and William Hoyland from 1779, but this was dissolved in 1787. William was the eldest son of John Hoyland with whom Younge had founded the business in 1765.

In 1784 plated wares were legally allowed to have a makers stamp, previously it was not. However, it was not until 1813 that S & C Younge registered the bishop’s mitre as their mark. They had registered a makers stamp for silver in 1811 which continued in use until 1828.

In December 1779 Greaves registered a patent (No.1241) for: “A Screw Nossill for Candlesticks, made of Silver or any other Metal, and also of an entire New Construction. “

Last item shows the registration of the patent.

The essential feature of the patent was that by rotating the nozzle, a screw mechanism was activated that raised the candle while it burnt. This allowed the last part of the candle to be used.

According to Gordon Crosskey, “Although very rare, plated candlesticks have survived marked Greaves’ Patent on the nozzles, and date from around 1780.”

This chamberstick presents some new information about the continued use of the Greaves’ Patent to a quite precise time.

The brothers took over the business in 1807, but didn’t mark their pieces with the bishop’s mitre until 1813. Therefore, it is likely that this piece dates from between these two dates. They presumably inherited the patent from their father and dropped the use of “Greaves”. The author has been unable to find any other examples of either candlesticks or chambersticks.

The nozzle is stamped, “- S&C. YOUNGE &Co. – PATENT”. The small pricket helps locate the candle.

Attached to the base of the nozzle is a screw thread and a square section.

The square section locates inside the sconce. This is the Greaves’ Patent.

The screw thread retracted, pushing the candle out of the nozzle.

The Greaves’ Patent incorporated in a candlestick illustrated in
“Old Sheffield Plate” by Gordon Crosskey

Regional Chair Collection

Ash Lincolnshire chairs with Chippendale inspired splat design. 1780-1820

Lincolnshire chair with unusual splat. 1780 – 1820

Chairs from High Wycombe attributed to William Treacher. 1780 – 1800 Donated to High Wycombe Museum, 2024

Bancroft chair with Hepplewhite inspired back splat. 1800

Elm, Scottish ladderback attributed to William…

Set of three Gillows “shield back with oval splat”, c.1790.

Abbot Hall chair
(Image p169 “Gillows “Susan E. Stuart)

This handsome design is transitional between the curves of Hepplewhite, camel back, and the straight fluted spindles of Sheraton.

Set of four chairs, previously on display in the Georgian Room, Abbot’s Hall, Kendal. (Now in store). Three of these chairs have the earliest known ‘Gillows Lancaster’ stamp (below). One unstamped chair is believed to be a later copy.
(Image from Alamy via Google)

Oddly, the two part stamp has been applied upside-down. (Susan E Stuart)

These chairs are all stamped, two on the left leg, one on the right. All are upside-down. This stamp being in a single line separated with a dot is stated as being brought in later in the mid 1790s. More likely that the two stamps were in use at the same time.

All three are also stamped with an ‘L’ on the front rail. They also have roman numerals III, IIII, V indicating they are from part of a set. Abbot Hall can’t say what numbers they have. I wonder if they have I, II and VI ?

This extra support for the drop in seat is nailed on with handmade nails.

Beautifully refined back with subtle stiff-leaf carving in gorgeous timber.

This view from above shows the typical ‘V’ joint in the stretcher concealing the secret dovetail. There is a raised edge to the seat rails into which the drop in seat neatly fits. The original curved corner blocks can also be seen.

No designs of this chair design survive, and although at first glance the chair below has little to do with the chairs in question, if you strip away the carving, the arms and gilding you notice that the back design has much in common.

Original Gillows drawing of a shield back cabriole armchair with upholstered splat; carved bow at crest rail; upholstered seat and arm rests; carved acanthus leaves and rosettes at seat rail; raised on square tapering legs with spade feet.

(Image: The Winterthur Library Collection
Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera)

Gillows Windsor chair, c.1790-1810

Left: 1798 11th September. Estimate Book, 1798-1803
Middle: 1798. Estimate Sketch Book 344/98, p.1490. Chair in elm and cherry, “making by John Harrison 9s complete”
Right: 1806. Ash with deal spindles, painted green.
Estimate Sketch Book, f.1804
(Westminster City Archive)

The Gillows Windsor chair was made to their design by local out workers. In 1774, John Rumney of Dalton, Ulverston was paid 5 shillings each for a dozen Windsors. If these were to the same design as the known drawings is not known.

John Harrison is noted on one of the drawings, 1798, as making them in cherry and elm for 9 shillings.

Gillows employed James Wilcock snr. and jnr. of Lower Bentham to make chairs in ash and elm for 6 shillings 9 pence half penny. These were often painted green. It is believed that the majority of late 18th and early 19th century examples were made by the Wilcock’s.

After the War of Independence (1776-83) Gillows sent large numbers of these chairs to the West Indies. To save space they were sent disassembled. These may have provided the models for American cabinet makers to follow and adapt locally made chairs.

Societique (Howard Byrom) £1700 the pair (2023)

Michael Pashby Antiques. The description relates to the chair below…

There are many features which would cast doubt on a Gillows provenance. The spindles are of a very large diameter; the spindles of the upper section of the back are out of proportion with those of the lower; the front stretcher joins the front legs below the turning detail. (Not seen in any other examples of Gillows Windsors); The stays to the back legs are not shaped; The seat is flat at the front; The front and back legs have an exaggerated splay. It’s overall proportion is inelegant. Maybe this is an American copy of a Gillows Windsor?

Pair of Candle Vases, 19th century

The lids from the urns are replaced upside-down to hold the candles

French Empire side chairs,by Jeanselme c.1830

Jeanselme were a dynasty of Parisian cabinetmakers active from 1824 until the end of the 19th century. Suppliers to the courts of Louis-
Philippe and Napoleon II.

In 1847 Alphonse-George Jacob sold the Jacob-Desmalter workshop to Joseph-Pierre-François Jeanselme (1824-1860), who, together with his son Charles-Joseph-Marie Jeanselme (1827-1871), supplied fine furniture to the French and imperial courts. From 1863 to 1871 the business was run by Charles-Joseph Marie in partnership with the ébéniste Auguste Godin. In 1893 the company took over the Lemarchand workshop.

Width: 46 cm
Depth: 42 cm
Height: 86.5 cm
Seat height: 47 cm

A few similar chairs have appeared at auction over the years. Several chairs of different designs from the Jeanselme workshops are currently being offered by French dealers.

Remains of a very faint stamp, “Jeanselme’ and old handwritten ‘Paris’ label

A similar pair sold at Christies,

Below a set of four chairs of a similar design. The central floral patera being much more simply carved.

Pair of open arm chairs attributed to John Linnell, circa 1770 – 1780

The cartouche shaped moulded back above a pierced vertical, stiff leaf and acanthus carved splat with scrolling leaf cresting. Leaf carved arms with leaf-clasped ball terminals and moulded arm supports. Stuffover serpentine seat and plain seat-rails on fluted turned tapering legs and reeded feet.

This distinctive splat pattern is used in a shield shaped back, on a satinwood armchair with green painted decoration from a suite of bedroom furniture at Castle Howard, Yorkshire, supplied to 5th Earl of Carlisle around 1780, (below).

George III period satinwood open armchair, one of a set, supplied by John Linnell to 5th Earl of Carlisle around 1780. This chair has the arms and legs found on other chairs of this type, however the back splat is slightly different. Image peacocksfinest.com

The ball clasped terminals are a typical feature of Linnell seat furniture and appear on a set of armchairs supplied to Robert Child (d.1782) of Osterley Park (circa 1768) for either Osterley Park or for 38 Berkeley Square. The Child chairs also feature the same clasped lotus leaves where the arm joins the back and the same octagonal moulding under the ball terminal, (see below). Two armchairs from this suite were offered Christie’s London, 14 June 2001, lot 80 (withdrawn from sale).

This arm feature can also be found on a suite of seat furniture supplied to the Duke of Argyll for Inverary Castle circa 1775-78, (see below). Also H. Hayward, P. Kirkham, William and John Linnell London, 1980, Vol.lI, figs 72,87,89

One from the suite of chairs at Inverary Castle

John Linnell’s apprenticeship as a cabinet-maker was unusual; in addition to training with his father William’s firm on Long Acre he also attended Hogarth’s St Martin’s Lane Academy where he studied drawing and design in an international, intellectual environment. John Linnell’s artistic talent had an immediate impact upon the firm, when he joined his father full time in 1753, specialising in rococo design. Linnell’s talent combined with his St Martin’s Lane connections meant that, far in advance of most cabinet-makers, he was aware of Delafosse and was experimenting with neo-classicism by 1760.

His designs from this period show him experimenting with the new style and the results were both novel and eclectic as he cast about for new combinations of form and ornament. By 1762 Linnell was working with Robert Adam at Kedleston Hall, followed by Osterley Park in 1767. Through his direct contact with Adam, the eclectic designs of Linnell were gradually replaced with an increasingly refined pure neo-classicism that was fully established by 1775.

Sotheby’s pair in good condition, drop in seats on cane – £18,750 (2016)

Bonhams single chair – very worn feet! Upholstered seat – £6,875 (2015)

Christie’s single chair – £2,200 (2020) same chair as above!

Bonhams single chair, drop in seat – £13,750 (2012)

The chair-back resembles a rough sketch (bottom right) by Linnell, circa 1768-70, in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London (E.74-1929). This design is from a portfolio entitled: A Miscellaneous Collection of Original Designs, made, and for the most part executed, during an extensive Practice of many years in the first line of his Profession, by John Linnell, Upholsterer Carver & Cabinet Maker. Selected from his Portfolios at his Decease, by C. H. Tatham Architect. AD 1800

Charles Heathcote Tatham (1772-1842), the Regency architect-designer, was Linnel’s cousin, and the executor of his estate. The presence of a light pencil sketch next to the ink drawing demonstrates that Linnell was experimenting with the form of the arm. The ball-clasped finials are a unique feature associated with Linnell, and can be found on another Linnell design for an armchair (E.82-1929), left. The other drawings above show how he used particular design motifs in slightly different arrangements. The two on the right show the same cartouche shaped back.