Elizabethan oak chair auctions with 181% increase on estimate

An Elizabethan oak panel-back armchair auctioned at Bonhams for £22,500 ($34,657) yesterday (July 25).

The sale price represents a strong 181.3% increase on the chair's £8,000 top estimate.

Elizabethan chair auction
It is unlikely that Elizabeth I ever sat on this chair

Reputedly drawn from Parnham House, in Sussex, UK, the armchair is believed to have been created circa 1580, following King Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries and Queen Elizabeth I's ascendance to the throne.

Since Queen Elizabeth I visited Parnham House in 1593, it is possible, though not entirely probable, that the ruling monarch rested her royal bottom upon the seat of this very chair.

Skilfully-made Tudor period furniture often proves popular at auction. However, such pieces do not appear for sale very frequently.

In October 2002, a large Elizabethan refectory table sold for $41,825 at Sotheby's New York, while a small Elizabethan oak stool made £38,400 ($57,500) at Sotheby's London in 2005.

We currently have a number of exquisite antique items in store.

Antique attire also sold very well at the present sale. A striking 18th century men's three piece suit made £8,750 ($13,400), an impressive 438% increase on its £1,500 top estimate.

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