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A highly carved walnut chair almost certainly made by Richard Price.
 
Price is recorded as having worked from St. Martin’s Lane, London as both joiner and upholsterer from circa 1670 until his death in 1683. During this time he fulfilled several royal commissions and was himself appointed joiner to the Crown in 1678.
 
Chairs were most certainly part of his repertoire as he charges for, ‘an elbow chair with walnuttree turned of the Dutch turning’ with a further record describing a chair supplied in 1671 as, ‘French turned all over’. This distinction in styles shows a high level of competence on Price’s part and gives a glimpse into the fashions that were flooding in post restoration of the monarchy.
 
This example beautifully exemplifies the ‘tight’ barely sugar turning of the period which is utilised on four of the stretchers and to the uprights of the back – where the turning is broken by four carved flowers with a further two situated at the top of the front legs. The top rail, splats, bottom slat and front stretcher each exhibit a crisply carved pierced crown flanked by s-scrolls with carved acanthus. No opportunity for ornament has been lost with the uprights terminating with coronet finials and even the seat rails having shallow carved foliate decoration. The front legs are scrolled and again are carved with acanthus.
 
Remarkably, this chair retains its original painted surface. ‘In the royal accounts of Charles II’s reign there are references to this rare form of decoration, Richard Price (q.v.) charging for a set of chairs ‘of the China varnish’, implying that they were japanned like other furniture of this time in Oriental taste’.
 
The chair is struck four times with the initials RP: to the rear of each outer splat, to the inside of the front stretcher and to the inside of the left seat rail. The placement of these marks and overall ornament match that of an armchair residing in Temple Newsam House, Leeds which has long been attributed to Price.
 
Overall, the frame is sound. The following historic repairs are present; there is a repaired split to the lower section of the right upright; the front right leg has several screws stabilising a split; the left stretcher has been historically replaced in oak; the canework to the seat has been replaced. The most recent repair is that of a sliver of period pine being affixed to the back of the central splat in order to stabilise a historic loss of timber. The neighbouring canework has also been replaced. Several historic flight-holes are present – primarily concentrated around the front left leg and stretcher.
 
English, made in London, circa 1675.
 
Overall height 111.5cm
Seat height 42cm
Width 51cm
 
References:
‘The Shorter Dictionary of English Furniture’, Ralph Edwards, pages 125-126.
The Furniture History Society: Price, Richard (1670-1683) | BIFMO
 
Further images are available upon request.