close-up of hall chair coat-of-arms

12 years ago

Here is a close-up of the coat-of-arms on the back of the hall chair. I do not know for certain how or when my mother acquired it. She may have purchased it from an acquaintance who was downsizing, and I doubt she paid anywhere near the price quoted by the dealer. The chair looks quite old, and is very heavy. The coat-of-arms appears to have all the elements that are on other images of the UK royal coat-of-arms. The only word I can actually make out clearly is "mon", part of "Dieu et mon droit".

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Comments (8)

sombreuil_mongrel
12 years ago
Windsor coat of arms.
Casey
bungalow975
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks, Casey--any idea what the "S" is for?
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sombreuil_mongrel
12 years ago
I think it is one of the princes or princesses. The S could be their initial. You'd need to find a ledger of the royal offspring back 75-100 years ago.
Casey
lazy_gardens
12 years ago
That design has been in use since Queen Victoria took the throne, well before the Saxe-Coburgs changed their name to "Windsor".

The various stuff around the shield (the center part with the harp, red lion, and 6 leopards is the actual "coat") varies depending on the use.

The supporters (lion and unicorn) are usually there, as is the banner with the slogan.

Distinctions are mostly made based on what is on top of the central image. The "crown" is a "coronet of rank" ... anyone a baron or above can plop one on top of their shield.

The 9 round things would indicate a viscount (they get to wear 16, but they don't all show on the coronet) ... so for these to be a genuine "legal" use, you have to find a member of the royal family who was also a viscount or viscountess. then look for their coat of arms, and see if their name starts with "S".

The royal bastards from the Georgian era would be one place to start. Some of them got arms and titles.

This is worth tracing, because if you can say "hand painted with the arms of Viscountess Somebody, illegitimate daughter of the Duke of whatever" you give it a lot of market power and date it much more firmly.

It may also have been a "fantasy" coat of arms, painted on by someone who liked the design. The cross on top of the coronet is not the typical shape, and the oval is not the usual shape.

And a friend suggested that the chair may have been made for Victoria's staff's use, and it was to be used by a Viscountess whose name started with "S". Victoria had the habit of plastering the royal arms over everything that held still.

http://users.uniserve.com/~canyon/qv_ladies.htm has the whole list of them.
bungalow975
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you, Casey and lazygardens. Researching "royal bastards" sounds intriguing, and it looks like I have my work cut out for me! How does one distinguish between a real "royal" piece of furniture and one that has a crest that was just "painted on by someone who liked the design"? I know very little about antique furniture (obviously!), but I am certainly willing to learn.
texasredhead
12 years ago
The official website of the Monarchy is royal.gov.uk. Don't know if this will aid your search, but there are issues with just anyone using the royal coat of arms. It would be akin to someone reproducing the US Presidential seal. Through the generations, the Royal Family is quite large. We Welsh have certainly supported our share!
bungalow975
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks for the link--I'll check it out.
lazy_gardens
12 years ago
"How does one distinguish between a real "royal" piece of furniture and one that has a crest that was just "painted on by someone who liked the design"?"

It can be difficult ... :)

this site: http://www.coaf.us/college.html specifically answers "questions from the general public"

If you send them the picture and the information from the chair's appraisal, they may have an idea of who was using it, or they may say "it's bogus".