Ornate Carved Wood North Wind Stick and Ball Chairs- a Pair

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A pair of identical face chairs by the Marble and the Shattuck Chair Company- Cleveland, OH. Each side is adorned … Read more A pair of identical face chairs by the Marble and the Shattuck Chair Company- Cleveland, OH. Each side is adorned with gold tassels, and a sage colored vintage buttoned velvet cushion sits atop each caned seat. These could be used as dining chairs or side chairs. If you are drawn to extraordinary craftsmanship, macabre, or eclectic stylings, these well-made, solid wood chairs will bring you copious joy.

The most curious item produced in America toward the end of the 19th century was the Roman-style, or cross-frame, "face chair." In design, the chair resembled the folding 14th-century Italian Savonarola chair.

This odd little chair became a must-have item for American parlors. A backrest onto which grotesque faces or carved fruit had been carved, stood upon simply fashioned legs, gracefully curved arms, and a curved seat. The most common face was a stylized North Wind blowing wooden tendrils of” "wind" from its mouth.

Other faces included grinning ogres, laughing gremlins, and satyrs with wickedly out-thrust tongues. Neptune and the Green Man, or foliate head of Celtic mythology, were also popular subjects. It isn’t surprising that the stone ancestors of these faces stare down from the tops of medieval cathedrals and guildhalls across Europe.

Perfect for a traditional, gothic, or castlecore abode. See less