Contact Seller
Cheeky Highlander
Tel0800 2922724Please quote Antiques Atlas.
Pair Of Painted Open Armchairs/ Fauteuils
Victorian Walnut Button Back Dressing Table Chair
Sheraton Revival Mahogany Armchair Desk Chair
19th C Howard & Sons Bedroom Chair
Pair of Antique Swedish Satin Birch Armchairs
Fine Pair of Queen Anne Walnut Chairs by Charles T
Pair of antique Regency mahogany side chairs
Pair Of Regency Hall Chairs Attributed To Gillows
Antique Victorian Oak Throne Hall Chair
Cuban Mahogany Marquetry Side Chair Circa 1880
Antique Victorian Swivel Desk Chair
Antique Swedish Leather Armchair
Non UK callers :
+44 800 2922724
North Wind Chair
Initially we thought this was a Green Man chair in the whimsical style loved by the Gothic Revivalists - however, on closer inspection we realised this was North Wind.
Bored with the classicism and artistic restrictions of the Age of Reason, Romantic artists found their inspiration in the Medieval Age, albeit an idealized one.
Crumbling castles, enchanted realms, and magical beasts filled their art. The Victorians loved this and when English draftsman Augustus Charles Pugin published his Specimens of Gothic Architecture in 1821, the Gothic revival was born.
Wealthy English families built Gothic-style houses and filled them with furnishings reminiscent of castles and medieval cathedrals. As time went on, carved plants, animals, and mythical creatures began to appear on the antique furniture they used to decorate their homes.
A wave of whimsical furniture soon appeared in England and swept across the Atlantic where it flooded houses from Boston to San Francisco.
By the end of the 19th century, parlors and bedrooms overflowed with fabulously carved antique furniture. Griffins supported sideboards, lions roared from the pedestals of dining room antique tables, and North Wind faces whispered from the backs of chairs.
The most curious item produced in America toward the end of the 19th century was the Roman-style,or cross-frame, "face chair." In design, the chair resembled the folding 14th-century Italian Savonarola chair. This odd little chair became a must-have item for American parlors.
The most common face was a stylized North Wind blowing wooden tendrils of” "wind" from its mouth.Other faces included grinning ogres, laughing gremlins, and satyrs with wickedly out-thrust tongues. Neptune and the Green Man, or foliate head of Celtic mythology, were also popular subjects.
It isn’t surprising that the stone ancestors of these faces stare down from the tops of medieval cathedrals and guildhalls across Europe. The origin of the faces is fairly easy to trace. Woodcarvers arriving in America from Germany in the mid-18th century found work in Midwest furniture factories. They brought their traditions and mythologies with them. In a way, their carvings were like fairy tales and folk tales fashioned in wood to delight and entertain.
They fashioned the backrests from oak or mahogany while they used less expensive wood, stained to match the backrest, for the rest of the chair. While they lavishly carved the faces, they kept the rest of the chair’s design relatively simple. Sometimes, they carved grooves into the ends of the arms to suggest fingers, and sometimes they turned the chair’s stretcher bars.
By the early 20th century, face chairs had all but died. As time progressed, the design pendulum swept from sumptuous Victorian ornamentation through the more restrained carving of the Eastlake period to the even cleaner lines of Mission-style and Art Deco furniture. Unfortunately, even paint couldn’t modernize these chairs, so most of them ended up in attics and basements. Many people simple destroyed them.
Dimensions: 42cm deep x 47cm wide x 119cm height
Add To Cart
SellerCheeky Highlander
View all stock from
Cheeky Highlander
Gladstone House
King Street
Tain
Highlands, Scotland
IV19 1AF
Tel : 0800 2922724
Non UK callers : +44 800 2922724
Get directions to Cheeky Highlander
Bored with the classicism and artistic restrictions of the Age of Reason, Romantic artists found their inspiration in the Medieval Age, albeit an idealized one.
Crumbling castles, enchanted realms, and magical beasts filled their art. The Victorians loved this and when English draftsman Augustus Charles Pugin published his Specimens of Gothic Architecture in 1821, the Gothic revival was born.
Wealthy English families built Gothic-style houses and filled them with furnishings reminiscent of castles and medieval cathedrals. As time went on, carved plants, animals, and mythical creatures began to appear on the antique furniture they used to decorate their homes.
A wave of whimsical furniture soon appeared in England and swept across the Atlantic where it flooded houses from Boston to San Francisco.
By the end of the 19th century, parlors and bedrooms overflowed with fabulously carved antique furniture. Griffins supported sideboards, lions roared from the pedestals of dining room antique tables, and North Wind faces whispered from the backs of chairs.
The most curious item produced in America toward the end of the 19th century was the Roman-style,or cross-frame, "face chair." In design, the chair resembled the folding 14th-century Italian Savonarola chair. This odd little chair became a must-have item for American parlors.
The most common face was a stylized North Wind blowing wooden tendrils of” "wind" from its mouth.Other faces included grinning ogres, laughing gremlins, and satyrs with wickedly out-thrust tongues. Neptune and the Green Man, or foliate head of Celtic mythology, were also popular subjects.
It isn’t surprising that the stone ancestors of these faces stare down from the tops of medieval cathedrals and guildhalls across Europe. The origin of the faces is fairly easy to trace. Woodcarvers arriving in America from Germany in the mid-18th century found work in Midwest furniture factories. They brought their traditions and mythologies with them. In a way, their carvings were like fairy tales and folk tales fashioned in wood to delight and entertain.
They fashioned the backrests from oak or mahogany while they used less expensive wood, stained to match the backrest, for the rest of the chair. While they lavishly carved the faces, they kept the rest of the chair’s design relatively simple. Sometimes, they carved grooves into the ends of the arms to suggest fingers, and sometimes they turned the chair’s stretcher bars.
By the early 20th century, face chairs had all but died. As time progressed, the design pendulum swept from sumptuous Victorian ornamentation through the more restrained carving of the Eastlake period to the even cleaner lines of Mission-style and Art Deco furniture. Unfortunately, even paint couldn’t modernize these chairs, so most of them ended up in attics and basements. Many people simple destroyed them.
Dimensions: 42cm deep x 47cm wide x 119cm height
Add To Cart
Price The price has been listed in British Pounds.
Conversion rates as of 5/DEC/2024. Euro & Dollar prices will vary and should only be used as a guide.
Always confirm final price with dealer.
DimensionsDimensions: 42cm deep x 47cm wide x 119cm height
Category Antique Furniture
> Antique Armchairs
Period Late Victorian Antiques
Material Oak
Item code as1164a043
Status Sold
£325.00 
$414.60 
€392.15 
$
€
Conversion rates as of 5/DEC/2024. Euro & Dollar prices will vary and should only be used as a guide.
Always confirm final price with dealer.
Shipping information
Nationwide UK delivery included in price. Please contact us for a quote for International delivery
Terms and conditions
Cheeky Highlander Ltd
Gladstone House
King St
Tain
IV19 1AF
SC654422
0800 292 2724
cheekyighlander@hotmail.com
SHOP AND ONLINE SALES RETURNS POLICY
Refunds will not be granted when
an item is known to be faulty at the time of purchase
if labels, maker’s marks or anything identifying or adding provenance to an item have been removed
an item has been damaged by trying to repair it or getting someone else to do it (you may still have the right to a repair, replacement or partial refund)
you no longer want an item (eg because it’s the wrong size or colour) unless you bought it without seeing it (ie. online) at which point you will be entitled to a refund of the purchase price only (not shipping / packing costs). See Clause 2.
For all online, mail and phone order sales
customers who purchase from us via online or telephone orders have the right to cancel an order even if the goods aren’t faulty within 14 days of the invoice date (whether payment has been made or not)
we will issue a refund to customers if you’ve told us within 14 days of receiving your goods that you want to cancel and the goods have been returned to us. You have another 14 days to return the goods to us once you’ve told us.
it is your responsibility to arrange and pay for the return of that time if the item is not faulty. If the item purchased is faulty, Cheeky Highlander Ltd will reimburse any costs involved.
we will refund you within 14 days of receiving the goods back in the condition they were purchased in.
the refund issued will be the cost of the item only and does not include packing/delivery costs to send the item to you.
the refund will be processed using your original payment method
we do not offer a ’buy back’ service for items purchased from us
Buyers will need to check with their local authorities to see if any customs and import taxes are applicable. Any additional customs and tax payments are the responsibility of the buyer.
Cheeky Highlander Limited are not responsible for delays due to customs.
Repairs and replacements
If you have ‘accepted’ an item, but later discover a fault, we will repair or replace it.
Our definition of acceptance is as follows
you have told us you have accepted it (having had enough opportunity to inspect the item before confirming you’ve received it)
altered the item
you are entitled to reject the item after it’s been repaired or replaced.
we will repair or replace an item if a customer returns it within 6 months - unless we can prove it wasn’t faulty when purchased
we can ask you to prove an item was faulty when you bought it if you ask for a repair or replacement after 6 months
Items returned by someone other than the buyer
we only accept returns from the person who bought the item
Gladstone House
King St
Tain
IV19 1AF
SC654422
0800 292 2724
cheekyighlander@hotmail.com
SHOP AND ONLINE SALES RETURNS POLICY
Refunds will not be granted when
an item is known to be faulty at the time of purchase
if labels, maker’s marks or anything identifying or adding provenance to an item have been removed
an item has been damaged by trying to repair it or getting someone else to do it (you may still have the right to a repair, replacement or partial refund)
you no longer want an item (eg because it’s the wrong size or colour) unless you bought it without seeing it (ie. online) at which point you will be entitled to a refund of the purchase price only (not shipping / packing costs). See Clause 2.
For all online, mail and phone order sales
customers who purchase from us via online or telephone orders have the right to cancel an order even if the goods aren’t faulty within 14 days of the invoice date (whether payment has been made or not)
we will issue a refund to customers if you’ve told us within 14 days of receiving your goods that you want to cancel and the goods have been returned to us. You have another 14 days to return the goods to us once you’ve told us.
it is your responsibility to arrange and pay for the return of that time if the item is not faulty. If the item purchased is faulty, Cheeky Highlander Ltd will reimburse any costs involved.
we will refund you within 14 days of receiving the goods back in the condition they were purchased in.
the refund issued will be the cost of the item only and does not include packing/delivery costs to send the item to you.
the refund will be processed using your original payment method
we do not offer a ’buy back’ service for items purchased from us
Buyers will need to check with their local authorities to see if any customs and import taxes are applicable. Any additional customs and tax payments are the responsibility of the buyer.
Cheeky Highlander Limited are not responsible for delays due to customs.
Repairs and replacements
If you have ‘accepted’ an item, but later discover a fault, we will repair or replace it.
Our definition of acceptance is as follows
you have told us you have accepted it (having had enough opportunity to inspect the item before confirming you’ve received it)
altered the item
you are entitled to reject the item after it’s been repaired or replaced.
we will repair or replace an item if a customer returns it within 6 months - unless we can prove it wasn’t faulty when purchased
we can ask you to prove an item was faulty when you bought it if you ask for a repair or replacement after 6 months
Items returned by someone other than the buyer
we only accept returns from the person who bought the item
View all stock from
Cheeky Highlander
Gladstone HouseKing Street
Tain
Highlands, Scotland
IV19 1AF
Tel : 0800 2922724
Non UK callers : +44 800 2922724
Get directions to Cheeky Highlander
You may also be interested in
Pair Of Painted Open Armchairs/ Fauteuils
Victorian Walnut Button Back Dressing Table Chair
Sheraton Revival Mahogany Armchair Desk Chair
19th C Howard & Sons Bedroom Chair
Pair of Antique Swedish Satin Birch Armchairs
Fine Pair of Queen Anne Walnut Chairs by Charles T
Pair of antique Regency mahogany side chairs
Pair Of Regency Hall Chairs Attributed To Gillows
Antique Victorian Oak Throne Hall Chair
Cuban Mahogany Marquetry Side Chair Circa 1880
Antique Victorian Swivel Desk Chair
Antique Swedish Leather Armchair
Websites for Antiques Dealers
Promote your stock and business
Read our testimonials
Read our testimonials