Armchair of carved mahogany, with an upholstered seat, the square back with four vertical fillets each with a rectangular tablet in the centre.

Armchair of carved mahogany, with an upholstered seat, the square back with four vertical fillets each with a rectangular tablet in the centre and topped with a curled, formal sheaf of leaves. The tapering legs are of square section, the front legs fluted on their visible faces, and carved with oval paterae (rosettes) on the blocks at the level of the seat rail. The outward-curving arms are supported on concave arm supports that rise immediately above the front legs. The back uprights are fluted on their front faces and the crest rail, with a rising centre section, is carved with a trail of husks.

This arm chair resembles a type termed 'Parlour Chairs' illustrated in Thomas Sheraton's The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Drawing Book, 1793.

It was purchased in September 1927 from Messrs Moss Harris & Sons, 44 New Oxford Street, London WC1, for £38 (Nominal File MA/1/H857). At the time it was recognized that chairs in Sheraton style were 'badly represented in our collection.' In a memo dated 5 October 1927 Oliver Brackett had noted 'I had two enquiries recently with a certain amount of complaint, from members of the public who were unable to find in the Museum what they described as "Sheraton" chairs.' Ralph Edwards noted that, whereas sets of dining chairs in this style were plentiful, armchairs made for drawing-room use were rare. He thought that this chair would provide 'an excellent model for students'. He mentioned in his report that the chair had been reinforced with metal plates, but did not think that detracted from its interest.

Lent to the Judges' Lodgings Museum Lancaster from 1987. See also Registered File 78/1949.

This is close to designs published by Thomas Sheraton in his Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Drawing-Book (1793), where such chairs were described as 'Parlour Chairs'. The inventiveness of furniture makers at the time is evidenced not only by such engraved designs but by the large variety of surviving chairs which show how makers used such sources to pick and mix motifs to create designs that could be customised for each client.

This armchair is currently on long loan to the Judge's Lodgings Museum in Lancaster.

W.48-1927