Southwood Corner Chair

SOUTHWOOD OF HICKORY, NORTH CAROLINA MAHOGANY CHIPPENDALE-STYLE CORNER CHAIR WITH BALL-AND-CLAW FEET AND FLAME-STITCH SEAT A mahogany corner chair, also called a roundabout or desk chair, in the Chippendale taste. The form has a shaped horseshoe crest rail with scrolled and carved arm terminals over two pierced interlaced splats, a bowed seat rail, and cabriole legs with carved knee scrolls ending in well-defined ball-and-claw feet, with a straight turned rear leg. The slip seat is upholstered in a multicolor flame-stitch or bargello-pattern fabric in blue, red, green, gold, and cream. The underside carries a black dust cover with the Southwood crest paper label reading "Southwood - HICKORY, NORTH CAROLINA," along with a printed cleaning-instructions and consumer-alert tag and a partial upholstery law tag reading in part "UNDER PENALTY OF LAW ... ALL NEW MATERIAL," plus chalk assembly markings on the frame members. Flaws include chipping and finish loss at the toes and knuckles of at least two ball-and-claw feet, a chipped area with light-colored raw wood exposed on the top of one rear post, scattered scuffs, nicks, and finish rubs on the legs and seat rail, and a torn and dirty paper law tag; the frame joints show exposed dowel and glue areas in the underside photographs. UNTESTED - the chair has not been sat in, stress-tested, or checked for loose joints, and no assurance is given as to structural tightness or the condition of the seat platform under the upholstery. Sold as one chair. Description Form: corner or roundabout armchair, Chippendale style, three carved cabriole legs with a straight rear leg Carving: pierced interlaced splats, scrolled crest and arm terminals, carved knee scrolls, ball-and-claw feet Upholstery: flame-stitch or bargello-pattern woven fabric slip seat, tight over the seat frame Construction/Finish: mahogany or mahogany-finished hardwood, hand-rubbed dark finish, doweled and glued joinery, black cambric dust cover on the underside Marks: Southwood crest paper label with "HICKORY, NORTH CAROLINA"; printed cleaning-instructions and consumer-alert tag; partial law tag reading "UNDER PENALTY OF LAW ... ALL NEW MATERIAL"; chalk markings on the frame Size: seat surface measures approximately 13 in across per the tape-measure photographs; overall height is estimated at approximately 30 to 32 in with a seat height of approximately 17 in, since no tape frame captures the full height - verify before bidding Attribution note Southwood, of Hickory, North Carolina, was founded in 1973 with the aim of becoming the premier American maker of museum-quality eighteenth-century reproductions, and it built exactly that reputation among interior designers, earning licensing agreements with Historic New England and Historic Deerfield, according to Furniture Today and Stenella Antiques. The company was known for hardwood frames, hand-rubbed finishes said to take more than twenty steps, eight-way hand-tied springs, and down cushions, and it also traded under the Southwood Reproductions name and sold heavily to the design trade. Southwood Furniture Corporation was sold in January 2013 to Vanessa Majma, who dropped "Corporation" from the name, and the company closed entirely in 2014, with the manufacturing plant and patterns auctioned off, as reported by Furniture Today and the Mecklenburg Times. That history makes this a late-twentieth-century or early-twenty-first-century bench-made reproduction rather than a period antique, and no production date is legible on the label in these photographs. The corner-chair form itself dates to the early eighteenth century, used at desks and card tables, and Southwood's version follows the Philadelphia Chippendale manner with ball-and-claw feet. All period, maker, and origin comments are offered as the consignor's photo-based opinion and are not guaranteed. Bid on the item(s) as pictured. Notes for bidders Ball-and-claw feet are the vulnerable point on any chair of this form and the chips here are typical of floor and vacuum contact; they can be filled and touched in by a finisher, but leave them alone unless you intend a proper repair, since consumer stain markers usually read darker than the surrounding hand-rubbed finish. Move the chair by lifting under the seat rail, never by the crest rail or the arms, and never drag it. Keep it out of direct sun and away from heat vents, which will fade the flame-stitch fabric and open the joints. Do not use silicone spray polishes on the finish. If joints feel loose on inspection, have them reglued properly rather than driving screws into the frame. Only the item(s) pictured are included in this lot. Terms Sold as-is, where-is, with no warranty expressed or implied. All sales final. Please ask any questions before bidding. Buyer is responsible for pickup or shipping arrangements per auction terms.