Chair, carved and turned oak, dated 1641 but probably made in England after 1850 using some old parts

Chair, or back-stool with scrolled top rail with panel enclosing the figures of the date 1641 in countersunk relief above a border of fluting. Plain square uprights with turned finials and between them a panel with a formal stemmed and foliated design in countersunk relief. Plain seat sunken for a squab, the front rail inlaid in a striped pattern with holly and bogwood. Knopped front legs and front stretchers. Plain back legs and side stretchers. Perhaps from Lancashire.

Purchased from S.W.Wolsey Ltd., 71 Buckingham Gate, London SW1 for £9.10s. RPs seem to suggest that the chair was originally offered for sale at £25.
On loan to the Commandery Worcester, January 1977- Jan 2006

Although this chair was purchased from one of the most emiment dealers of the day, it does not seem convincing as a 17th century object:

the stained back feet and (side and back) stretchers all feel new, and sharp with minimal wear. The deep seat rails don't look like a 17c approach, with a shallow groove to receive a seat board (and again no sign of real wear) which would not have served effectively (even with a cushion). Note the parrelogram form of seat, with side rails needing to employ an angled tenon where they are jointed to the squared front leg.

the rear angle of the back is surely post-17c, while the bobbin turning is possibly later in style than expected for 1641.

the undated back panel does not fit evenly in the back, making one suspect that this element could be old, while everything else including dated top rail is probably later.

Notes from R.P. 47/489

Purchase Form
Describes as "One Chair, carved English dated 1641, oak, design on back, £25"

12/3/47 Invoice
lists as: "One tall-back chair, bobbin-turned legs, back carved with carved date - 1641

Formerly on loan to The Commandery, Worcester, 1977-2006.

Dated 1641 but probably made since 1850 using some old parts

Although this chair was purchased by the Museum just after the second World War, from one of the most eminent dealers in oak furniture of the day, it does not seem convincing today as a 17th-century object. There is very little of the wear and tear that one expects to find on a chair 350 years old, with the wood surfaces even and straight, except for the large back panel which does probably date from the 17th century. The solid seat is held only in a shallow groove that seems barely adequate to support the weight of a sitter. The rake of the back and bobbin turning on the legs is more usually associated with the period after 1660. Adding an early date (here, 1641) to a later piece of furniture is a common way to make it seem convincing.

W.10-1947