Jason Clarke Antiques

Description

An extremely fine Regency mahogany caned library tub chair or desk chair by the renowned early Nineteenth Century makers, Miles & Edwards.

Made from the finest chosen mahogany, this chair is of superb proportions and has simple but robust design with its period turned front legs and swept back legs that continue through into supporting the yoked backrest. The close nailed leather backrest is an unusual but effective feature and perfectly finishes off the bold profile view of the chair.

Miles & Edwards were expert furniture makers of the period and from the examples that I have seen, had a particular skill in producing superb seat furniture (please see our sold section) and I cannot begin to explain how good this chair is. Both the caning and the leather have been replaced due to excessive wear of the previous recovering and it is now ready to grace a library or study once more.

The company’s stamps can be seen pictured to the base of the front rail of the seat and owing to its relatively early order number “9846” it would suggest that this was manufactured during the final days of George IV’s reign so Late Regency in style. I have seen order numbers above thirty thousand marked to some examples so with a short trading life from 1822 to 1845 you can see quite how prolific they were during their heyday. They were eventually bought out by Charles Hindley and their later divested stock is sometimes marked “C. Hindley late Miles & Edwards”. They also appear in Christopher Gilbert’s “Pictorial Dictionary of Marked London Furniture 1700-1840".

Circa 1825 - 1830