Glasgow School Oak Armchair from Liberty, 1890s

The chair is almost identical to the George Walton design, but has a variant shaped top to the back. Literature: Daryl Bennett, ‘Liberty Furniture 1875-1915’.4 Art Furniture, Page 131, plate 4.91. Sketch illustration of George Walton design. Please see photographs.

The seating retains the original webbing and filling and has been padded and re-covered with brown leather and copperised studs. The studs are set how they were originally on the chair. Please refer to the last photograph showing the frame before re-upholstery. They have been slightly aged.

The oak has the original patina, which has been waxed. There are some marks around the frame with an indentation to note to the top of one arm. The edges to the legs are knocked with use.

The chair has a flattened curved arm with an elongated tapering back. The Abingwood design was considered some of the most distinctive of Walton’s designs, strongly influenced by C R Mackintosh’s work.

The chair has had historic repairs to the back of the arms. They appear to have been re-glued – please refer to the photographs. These are however very solid.

The chair is sturdy in structure with no loose joints. The design does make for a comfortable seat, with shaped back and wide arms for support.

The original Abingwood rush seated design was produced for the John Rowntree & Sons café in Scarborough, North Yorkshire (1895) and for the billiards room at Miss Cranston’s Buchanan Street tearooms in Glasgow in the late 1890’s .

The chair’s design was based on the French caquetoire (conversation chair) style, popular in Scotland in the 17th century.

Additional dimensions information:

47cm wide inbetween the top front uprights. The arm height is 72cm.