Ambrose Heal, A Rare Pair Of Original Heal's 1930s Chromium Plated Tubular Steel And Leather Roman Curule Chairs
Bexhill-on-Sea, United Kingdom
£4,995 per item
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Item details
Height
81.5 cm
Width
69.5 cm
Depth
51.5 cm
Wear conditions
Good
Wear conditions
Excellent
Shows little to no signs of wear and tear.
Good
May show slight traces of use in keeping with age. Most vintage and antique items fit into this condition.
Average
Likely to show signs of some light scratching and ageing but still remains in a fair condition.
Apparent Wear and Tear
Visible signs of previous use including scratches, chips or stains.
Please refer to condition report, images or make a seller enquiry for additional information.
Description
This is a PAIR of Ambrose Heal designed "Roman' Curule Armchairs.
Designed by Ambrose Heal in the early 1930s, this chair was part of a suite of furniture first exhibited at Heal's White and Off White" exhibition art the Mansard Gallery in 1933.
It was also exhibited at the Royal Academy's 1935 Art in Industry exhibition. It is well documented with photographs of the suite at exhibition being featured in the book At The Sign of the Four Poster Bed and also in Patricia Bayer's Art Deco Interiors.. It also features in Heal's furniture catalogues of the 1930s.
The chair shows how Ambrose Heal designed furniture in the Bauhaus manner, popular in Avant Garde circles, but with a British historical influence resulting in a Modernist, Art Deco look with minimalism at its heart.
The chair is made from chromium plated oval section tubular steel with leather seat, back and armrests.
Heal patented the oval section steel in 1933.
This chair was part of a dining suite sold by Christies in October 1992, lot 253 in Sale 4844, British Decorative Arts and Art Deco, having resurfaced with the original Christies 1992 labels again in 2023. The set had a hammer price of £1980 in 1992.
The leather is new, replacing missing and completely deteriorated leather that was present in 1992, not having been replaced since then until now.
Please see our other listings fora pair of matching side chairs. The matching table will also be made available if a prospective buyer is interested.
Condition report:
The chromium plated steel has been lightly polished only, to clean the surface and not restored to an as new condition which could be done by the purchaser by having the frame stripped and re-chromed. We prefer to retain the patina of age and use, and since this is a rare and somewhat important chair we feel it is best to leave the frame showing wear and surface degradation in places. The chair is 100 percent sound and solid. The leather has been replaced with a new black hide with contemporary rope lacing.
The seat tension can be adjusted by re-tightening the lacing when the leather gives over time with use.
Additional dimensions information:
Height to seat 47cm. Measurements are approximate.
Cancellations
We offer free cancellations and full refund for orders cancelled before dispatching. View full policy.
Returns
We have a 14-day return guarantee for orders from individual sellers, within the UK and European Union. View full policy.
Delivery within 250 miles of TN39 3JE is free. This includes all areas inside the M25. Outside this radius, we may charge for delivery based on the cheapest available method. We may deliver personally at no extra cost or use a professional furniture courier charged at their rates. Please enquire for a personalised quote. We do not ship outside of Mainland UK. Buyers can arrange for delivery outside the mainland UK and we are happy to work with the buyers courier company, eg. delivering to a depot within the UK however we will not provide packaging for overseas shipment.
Estimated delivery time
Less than one week
Free collection available
Yes
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- Selling at Vinterior since 2017
- 10 sales
- Ships from Bexhill-on-Sea, United Kingdom
Seller Reviews
Cancellations and Returns
Last updated: 24th March 2025
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