A remarkable set of eight, late C19th carved oak chairs, made by celebrated Liverpool cabinet makers A. Blain and Son for the Barker family of Stokesley, Yorkshire; Newbury, Berkshire; Great Horwood, Buckinghamshire; and Culworth, Northamptonshire.
Each chair is superbly hand carved, with reeded front legs raised on pot castors, the crest rails adorned with trefoil details and the muzzled bear of the family crest.
Established by Irish cabinet maker and upholster Arbuthnot Blain in the 1830’s, the firm of A. Blain and Son was highly regarded for its quality of craftsmanship.
The Furniture Gazette Directory of 1877, around the time this set of chairs was made, lists A. Blain and Son, cabinet makers and upholsterers, at 35 Paradise Street and 28 Atherton Street, Liverpool.
Each chair is in excellent condition, ready for recovering, and the set is offered together with a framed illuminated crest of the Barker family.
English, c1870.
Measurements: H: 34” (86.5cm); to seat 18” (46cm); W: 18” (46cm); D: 20” (51cm).