Georgian-style mahogany open armchair with a stuffover seat
A mahogany shield-back carver that had been poorly repaired at some point in its life, with replacement seat rails that had pulled the frame out of true. The work was to make the existing frame sound again, then refinish and reupholster it traditionally.
The chair had been poorly repaired at some point. Both seat rails had been replaced, and not symmetrically, which had pulled the arms out of position, and the original mortices had been cut into.
With so much of the original joinery already lost, a true restoration was not possible. The aim instead was to make good the existing frame properly, so it is sound, square and fit to be used again.
The upholstery was stripped and the frame fully dismantled. Every joint was cleaned of old glue, and the nails, staples and screws left behind by earlier repairs were removed.
Once it was apart, the extent of the damage was clear: a rotted leg top full of old nails and staples, a failed mortise in the rear leg, and decayed corner blocks.
Affected timber was treated for woodworm and consolidated with an epoxy consolidant, so as much of the original wood as possible could be kept.
The old finish was stripped back to bare timber.
This was the bulk of the work. The side seat rails were repaired and spliced, new timber was spliced into the leg tops, and the rear-leg mortises were cut back and rebuilt. The arms and arm supports were also repaired.
The frame was reassembled with hide glue, the traditional adhesive for furniture of this kind. It is strong, but it can be softened again with heat and moisture, so any future repairs can be made without damaging the chair.
The new timber was colour-matched and stained to sit with the original mahogany. The whole frame was then French polished, with shellac built up over several sessions and finished with wax.
The stuffover seat was rebuilt the traditional way: webbing, hair, scrim and calico, finished with a gold velvet top cover.
The shield-shaped back is most closely associated with George Hepplewhite, whose pattern book, The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Guide, was published by his widow Alice in 1788. Its designs were widely copied by makers across Britain, and shield-back chairs have been made in the same spirit ever since.
A carver is the armed chair of a dining set, traditionally placed at the head of the table.