Description
Royal House Antiques
Royal House Antiques are delighted to offer for sale this stunning and exceptionally rare pair of original hand carved in Black Forest wood very large Bear armchairs.
Please note the delivery fee listed is just a guide, it covers within the M25 only for the UK and local Europe only for international, if you would like an accurate quote, please send me your postcode and I’ll provide you with the exact price.
A collectable and signature pair of art furniture armchairs. Black forest wood seating almost never comes up for sale, some single pieces fetch up to £50,000, they look amazing in any setting and really are the most wonderful conversation pieces
This pair are exceptional, they date to the early 20th century circa 1920, they are hand carved from solid slabs of black forest wood timber. Black forest wood gets its name from the darkness of the timber, this is due to the trees being naturally grown very closely, they are very tall meaning no light reaches the timber giving it this wonderful colour
This pair came to me in need of some sympathetic conservation, they had been coated is some kind of thick sticky dark wax which hid the natural colour and timber patina, we have painstakingly removed this substance to reveal the natural colour of the wood and grain. We have then very lightly wax sealed and hand polished them from top to bottom, the finished result is pretty much the best looking pair of these chairs you will ever find.
They have old repairs here and there, nothing you wouldn’t expect from 100+ year old chairs that are this large and heavy. There are no losses or structural issues whatsoever they are a very fine example.
Dimensions:
Height 104cm
Width 71cm
Depth 61cm
Seat height 43cm
Please note all measurements are taken at the widest point
Black Forest Carving History
In the 1800s the wood carving industry of Switzerland started in the town of Brienz. By the end of the 1800s it had become the driving force for this industry.
Swiss wood carvers became world renown and featured at many international exhibitions. Here is a shortlist of the major exhibitions Black Forest Carvings were spotlighted.
Great Exhibition, London (1851)
Centennial Exhibition, Philadelphia (1876)
Chicago Worlds Fair, Chicago (1893)
Exposition Universelle, Paris (1900)
In Europe Black Forest carvings (wares) became a symbol of luxury and wealth. The finest pieces of Black Forest carving was often found in Royal collection and elite collector’s homes (usually Victorian world travellers).
During the 1800s-1900s popularity was also growing in many overseas markets. There was a high demand for these carving especially depicting American Wildlife. Here are some of the American animals that were highly sought after: Bears, Stags, Eagles, Boars and Dogs
Present Market
In the last 15 years this genre has seen some major changes. Specialty auctions and dealers have been popping up worldwide. Along with various books on the subject being published.
For the first time pieces showing up at auction are being attributed to Master Swiss carvers. The biggest misconception about Black Forest carvings is that they originated in Germany. However they are actually the creation of Swiss carvers.
Please note all measurements are taken at the widest point, if you would like any additional or specific measurements please ask.
Any questions please feel free to ask before you bid.
ABOUT US
Royal House Antiques is a privately owned family ran business founded in Wimbledon SW19 and now based in Pulborough RH20. We specialise in finding, restoring very fine luxury antique leather seating, along with every single other type of antique ranging from the 16th century to the 20th century. We also stock a number of designer brands such as Fritz Hansen, Ralph Lauren, Cavalli, Charles & Ray Eames, Vitra, David Linley, Rolex, Tiffany, Jager Le Coulter and so on
PAYMENTS
We accept payment via Bitcoin, Bitcoin cash, Ethereum, Bacs, Chaps, PayPal or Card, we would kindly ask that all items are paid for within 48 hours and collected within 7 working days, we can hold all paid items for 14 days free of charge, there after a £20 a week storage fee will apply. We have long term storage which is very economically priced, we are happy to hold stock for as long as needed providing it is arranged prior to the purchase
If sold items aren’t collected within three months and no arrangements have been made for long term storage you will forfeit the item and payment
CONDITION
Please view the very detailed pictures as they form part of the description pertaining to the condition. Please also ask any questions before you bid and not after, all of our items are sold as seen and as listed
Royal House Antiques cannot be held liable for any independent assumptions made regarding the items we sell, if you are unsure on any point, please feel free to ask for clarity
Please note vintage period and original items such as leather seating will always have natural patina in the form of creasing and wear, we recommend annual waxing to ensure no moisture is lost, also hand dyed leather is not recommended to sit in direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time as it will dry out and fade
DELIVERY OR COLLECTION
This item is available for collection from our Pulborough warehouses RH20-1DF by appointment only, alternatively we can have it delivered nationwide to include Scotland, Wales and Ireland for a fee
Please contact me via email, alternatively my contact information is under the business seller section of the listing, with your postcode for a delivery quotation, as mentioned above the fee listed covers with the M25 for the UK, for international deliveries the amount listed covers local Europe only so parts of Belgium and France
Please be sure to include which item you would like to buy as the price is determined on size and distance, if you would like more than one piece of furniture the courier offers a substantial discount on the second and third item, for international shipping please view the below information
COURIER, LARGE ITEMS ONLY THAT CAN’T BE POSTED
We can arrange delivery nationwide, mostly with our nominated couriers, for Europe we use one reasonably priced professional company that we trust, for the rest of the world we use international shippers that can send any size item crated via air freight within 7-14 days after crating or soft packed and container shipped via sea freight within 30-60 days. The time frames outlined are guides only, non-domestic shipping is almost entirely governed by the airlines, sea freight loading times and custom clearances
Whomever delivers will always require help on the larger items to unload, the price you will be quoted will always be based on this assumption, if this is not possible, please let us know as it will affect the price to send a two-person team
Delivery is to the ground floor only, again if you need help upstairs or in flats etc that’s absolutely not a problem, the couriers charge £10-£20 per flight per man per item, if you have a working elevator then naturally there’s no additional fee
All courier fees are paid by yourself directly to the courier company, the contract for delivery is between yourselves the client and whichever courier you chose from those available I’m happy to accommodate your own courier after a cleared payment has been received, they need to book in a collection time with at least 24 hours notice, all collections must be made within 14 working days of the close of the sale unless agreed by prior arrangement
IMPORT DUTY
Most countries charge some kind of import duty however almost all of our items won’t incur any charges as the items are exempt from tax due to the age and materials used
For European deliveries the price you will be quoted will include all clearance documentation and any customs charges so there won’t be any additional fees
For international deliveries such as the United States there can be some import duty to pay and or a clearance fee, I would estimate that 99% of all deliveries clear customs without being stopped for either
All duties are the responsibility of the purchaser who is the importer, they can’t be covered by the seller or shipping agent or factored in with additional retrospective discounts
RETURNS
Royal House Antiques offers a no quibble return policy if the item is not as described, if there are any issues with the piece you will be refunded in full once the item has been returned and inspected within 14 days, alternatively if there is a small issue, we can discuss finding a mutual resolution that makes all parties happy
We don’t offer a sale on approval service which means you can purchase the item, have it delivered and if you simply don’t like it, return it, this comes under change of mind or doesn’t fit. There is a lot of time, money and work involved in transporting goods around the world, the costs incurred can be vast so my advice would be if you are unsure on a piece please ask as many questions as you like to make sure you understand everything before you buy, if you are still unsure then please either arrange a viewing in person or if that’s not possible then don’t buy from an online retailer, perhaps look for a local gallery instead
