What is a bow back Windsor chair?

What is a bow back Windsor chair?

Bow back windsor chairs are handmade, heirloom-worthy seating options built from your choice of American hardwood. These colonial dining room chair representations are Amish made to order, often times with continuous arms and signature spindle back rests.

How can you tell if a chair is vintage?

The underside of the chair often offers the best clues as to its general age. Look for a tag with manufacturing information, including a name, model number or even a year for chairs made in the last 80 years or so. If the tag features a website address, that’s a huge clue that it is a modern reproduction.

What is a comb back chair?

The Comb-back Windsor is often considered the first “American-made” Windsors. These popular and comfortable chairs featured an oval seat, with arms typically made up of a single, steam-bent piece of wood, and legs with a simple taper in the foot.

How can you tell the age of a Windsor chair?

Look at the chair’s legs. An American Windsor will have angled legs, whereas the English chair legs were straight. Check the chair’s plank seat to see how thick it is. Generally, older chairs will have thicker seats.

How much is a Windsor chair worth?

Prices for period Windsor chairs now range from about $1,000 to $200,000, with rumors of private sales of over $500,000. “Windsor chairs are very hot right now,” says Charles Santore, author of The Windsor Style in America.

Why is it called a Windsor chair?

The Windsor Chair takes its name from the English town of Windsor, where it originated around 1710. This type of chair is a form of wooden seating in which the back and sides consist of multiple thin, turned spindles that are attached to a solid, sculpted seat.

What age does furniture become vintage?

Most antique dealers consider an item to be vintage if it is at least 40 years old.

What is a spindle back chair?

Spindle-back chair 1680–1710 This chair, ornamented with turnings of repeated barrel, flattened ball, and baluster shapes, is of a distinctive type associated with areas of Dutch cultural influence in New York and northern New Jersey.

What is the middle piece in the back of a chair called?

The Seat. Backrest: The backrest is the chair back, which supports the posture of the person seated in the chair. Headrest: The headrest is the upper part of a tall chair back, and supports the head and/or neck of the person seated in the chair.

What is my Windsor chair worth?

In general, dealers will agree on certain points: a good Windsor chair with a period paint finish starts at about $6,000 to $8,000; an armchair is worth more than a side chair; an early chair tends to be more valuable than a later example; and a maker’s brand, which is very rare, will increase the price.

Are Windsor chairs marked?

While the oldest Windsors may not be marked at all, many of the factory-produced models feature labels and furniture marks. Look on the underside of the seat for any type of marking. This can offer you a clue about the manufacturer and possibly the time period the chair was produced.