🔎 UNIDENTIFIED Windsor Rocking Chair (help with age/origin)

[thehunter123]

Hey y’all! Just acquired this beautiful comb back Windsor rocker from a former antique dealer in NC. She didn’t have much info on the chair, other than it was a 19th century example. Can anyone help date this piece more accurately based on the style/build/wood etc? There are a couple of minor splitting damages to the legs from wear. Thanks in advance!

 

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[ANTIQUARIAN]

That's a beautiful find hunter and it looks to be in great condition too, thanks for posting clear photo's.

Your rocker looks to be made of walnut or a similar hardwood. The square bolt and rod certainly are 19thc in design. It strikes me as being factory/machine-made piece, as opposed to being hand-made. There appears to be the remains of glue from a makers label on the underside. There also seems to be very little wear on the 'contact points' of the arms and the rocker legs. Look for signs of age, your chair should show the signs of use that come with age. If the chair is painted or stained the finish may be crackled or peeling and even worn through to the bare wood in spots. There may be more than one layer of finish, indicating that it’s been stained many times over the years. Check the arms, seat and back, where a person’s body would have rubbed. On an old chair, these areas will be worn to a smooth patina that only comes with age. Turn the chair over and examine the rockers. On an old chair, the rocker bottoms may be worn through to the bare wood and the curve slightly flattened, making the chair rock unevenly.

To me, your rocker appears to have been 'restored' or simply just freshened up with a light sanding and a coat of stain at some point in the past 30 - 40 years. This maybe the reason why it looks so clean. Date-wise, I'm thinking mid-late 19thc (1870 - 90).

Hope this info helps,
Dave

 

[Almy]

Nice photos of an interesting old chair. I can see a course, porous hardwood. Hard to differentiate pores and rays in the photos, but it appears to have large, oak-type rays. The only wood that seems to fit is oak, but I am not certain. I can also see light pigment in some of the pores, suggesting that the chair was painted at one time.