Pair of Mid-1800's English Country Ladder Back Cane Chairs, Signed by J. Bates

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Description

This pair of antique ladderback (originally known as lath-back) chairs feature a gorgeous rippled wood grain, shaped splats and turned … Read more This pair of antique ladderback (originally known as lath-back) chairs feature a gorgeous rippled wood grain, shaped splats and turned front legs, and a handpegged cane seat. Each is signed "J. Bates" on the underside of the chair. The crest rails, back splats, and seat are constructed from elm, and the legs and stretchers of beech.

The fact that these chairs are signed is relatively rare: few pieces from this time period bear a maker's signature, and quality pieces are more likely to bear one than run-of-the-mill examples. It signals that they were made by an individual craftsman rather than a large manufacturer. While the exact provenance of the chairs cannot be confirmed with 100% certainty, based on the style, materials, construction, and maker's signature I believe they were made in the 1860's or 70's in England by a chairmaker named John Needham Bates.

The Bates' family were well-known chairmakers in Stokenchurch, part of the High Wycombe region of England known for chairmaking. Records from the Buckinghamshire Family Historical Society indicate that many Bates family members worked as chairmakers and turners from approximately the 1840's onward; among them was an individual named John Needham Bates, who was active from the mid to late-1800's and spent time as a "bodger" creating the turned pieces from which chairs of the time were constructed. I suspect this is "J. Bates" who signed the chairs.

Again, while the materials, craftsmanship, and stenciled signature reflect many of the hallmarks of Wycombe production in the mid-1800's, I can't rule out the possibility that the signature is that of another chairmaker and that they were produced at some later point in the 1800's or early 1900's.

The chairs are in excellent antique condition and would make a stunning addition to any English country or early Victorian collection.

Overall dimensions (at widest points):
17.5"W
32.5"H
17.5"D

16.75" Seat height
17.5" Seat width
15.5" Seat depth See less