Received 2 of these oak side chairs as a Christmas gift. I would like to know the history behind them if at all possible. There are no makers marks or anything identifying the maker or where they came from. With the different carvings, I was thinking they were made for a church or lodge of some sort. Any information would be appreciated. Thank you.
Your chairs are Jacobean in style !! Many include Elizabethan and Gothic in that classification !! Each has similarities and differences but one thing in common is the elaborate carvings on some pieces !! What I was trying to see with the pic of the underside is if the chair was period or Jacobean Revival which was much later !! I am pretty sure your chairs are Jacobean Revival ( hard to tell from pics) which would be around 1800 to about 1880 give or take a few years either way !! I also think your chairs have been refinished !! Pretty common for many of these types !! Have no idea about the starburst pattern on the seat !! Could have been a reason for it and could have been added to make the chairs more unique !! Nothing was over the top in decoration back then !!
Back during the 1970`s so many of these things were purchased in the UK and shipped here that it is not unusual to find items like these !! My guess is that your chairs were made in Scotland !! The carvings are more typical of Scotland than Britain !! Faces were used on many types of furniture !! Sometimes the faces are similar to what is called the North Wind or Green Man like the one on the splat !! The female face may represent a known person or not !! Kind of depends on what mood the maker was in that day !! I would guess these were likely made as side chairs for a small table or for use in an entry hallway !! It was not uncommon for chairs like this to be simply dining chairs !! Just google “Jacobean carved chairs with faces” or something similar and you can see many different types !!
Wish I could be more specific but would have to see them in person and even then much is guesswork !!
