Victorian Furniture

"Belter" Chair??

Started by rebelangel · October 27, 2010 · 4 posts · 5 images

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Victorian Furniture thread on victorianforum.com · started October 27, 2010 by rebelangel · 4 posts, 5 image attachments · discussion in 2010.

This chair is offered at a local antique shop and labeled as a "Belter." It's been obviously broken and repaired numerous times, the back of the chair has many substantial repairs to it. It has some "pins" in it at the top of the back leg, unsure if this was a repair or an…

This chair is offered at a local antique shop and labeled as a "Belter."  It's been obviously broken and repaired numerous times, the back of the chair has many substantial repairs to it.  It has some "pins" in it at the top of the back leg, unsure if this was a repair or an original part.

I took a lot of photos of it, but managed to get NONE of the whole chair from the front or back.  Also, I set the pillow back in it to take a photo of the back, so that is the stripes you see through the carvings.

Considering it claims to be a Belter, I thought I'd ask you guys what you thought.  The booth owner said she used to have quite a few Horner pieces in her home.  The chair, despite it's condition, was fairly inexpensive for a Belter, at least what I've seen online.  I didn't see this pattern on the belter furniture website.
belter chair — "Belter" Chair??
belter chair — "Belter" Chair??
belter chair2 — "Belter" Chair??
belter chair2 — "Belter" Chair??
belter chair3 — "Belter" Chair??
belter chair3 — "Belter" Chair??
belter chair4 — "Belter" Chair??
belter chair4 — "Belter" Chair??
belter chair5 — "Belter" Chair??
belter chair5 — "Belter" Chair??
Those thick outer "lyre" members on the chair back seem to argue for Belter, but I've never seen a pattern quite like it.

In any case, it's a beautiful, skillfully carved chair and probably worth your time and money, especially if you can get a good deal because of the repairs.
The scrolls - from the back of the chair only - look remarkably Belter-like.  Nothing else does, so it's a bit of a mystery to me...
Thanks for the input guys.  I was wondering what kind of input I'd get on it. 

I'm not in the market for it right now, and while it's nice, it's been split down the back, FULLY, at least twice, and once across the bottom part. 

For 395, if it was easily recognizable as a Belter, I'd snag it up.  Otherwise, I'm not really in the market for a chair for that price.  I'd rather put the $$ towards my existing upholstery project.

Thanks again!