Early C19th Yew Wood Corner Ladderback Chair

A charming and unusual early 19th Century yew wood ladder back corner chair, with a horseshoe shaped back of three baluster turned cylindrical columns connected by two shaped splats, surmounted by an additional ladder back with three shaped splats. The square rushed seat, raised on three legs centred by a plain tapering leg terminating in a pad foot, united by spindle stretchers and two front turned footrests. In fabulous original condition, the lovely overall colour and silken sheen of the yew wood giving this a lovely tactile quality. English, circa 1810

A less common wood for furniture making, Yew is tough, slow-growing, and notoriously hard to work with. All parts of the yew tree, from leaves to bark, contain a toxic substance known as taxine, which can be released as a fume when worked with. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the three Witches toss ‘gall of goat and slips of yew’ into their bubbling cauldron. Despite this, some of the earliest and best Antique Windsor Chairs were produced in Yew.