Neo-Grec Herter Brothers or Pottier & Stymus Chairs

by John Werry on September 18, 2008

I don’t run across fine Neo-Grec, ebonized, Rosewood chairs like these too often.  Each chair has a bronze plaque in the back splat, one of a male figure and the other of a female.  There is ample ormolu throughout the chair and if I were the current owner, I would try to examine the back of the lion for a possible “P.S.” stamp (Pottier & Stymus) as is true of my Egyptian Revival set.

They are most likely of New York origin and the seller’s attribution to either Pottier & Stymus or Herter Brothers isn’t a stretch due to the fine quality.  The seller is asking $5,000 for the pair with free shipping provided.  I feel that they will go unsold due to the current state of the market – Victorian and Wall Street, both.  More photos at the listing.

{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }

david reed September 18, 2008 at 1:05 pm

Great chairs – for what its worth, we had a killer stand that we sold at auction few years ago (brought $12,000 or so) that we thought was P&S,. Turned out the buyer found it in an original K&C catalog……………..it had many of the same design elements incorporated in these pieces. Agree with your assessment though. Certainly not a stretch to attributre to super fine maker!

Reply

RareVictorian September 19, 2008 at 11:20 am

The catalog you’re referring to can be found here.

Reply

james conrad September 21, 2008 at 5:33 am

Well, its the last day of sale and not a single bidder so far. It maybe that it would have been better to market these chairs through an Auction House rather than a straight up ebay sale.

Reply

RareVictorian September 21, 2008 at 9:42 pm

An auction is probably where they will end up, but at the moment I don’t think they can command $5k anywhere. They’re great chairs, however. I’m wondering if they were dining chairs ….

Reply

Leave a Comment

Previous post:

Next post: