John Alexander showed a wonderful pair of chairs that piqued my interest. I always enjoy stumbling upon something that I cannot readily identify. Asian? Austrian? Maybe Scottish?
From John Alexander:
"Harry Napper (1860–1940) was a polymath designer of furniture, metalwork and textiles, although primarily focused on the latter. As a designer for The Silver Studio, under Arthur Silver from 1893 to 1896, and as the studio manager from 1896 to 1898, Napper was a significant force in English fin de siècle design.
In 1898, Napper founded his own studio, continuing to design textiles that were sold to firms such as G.P. & J. Baker and Alexander Morton as well as a number of Continental manufacturers.
In 1901, Napper was contracted by the London furniture manufacturer Norman and Stacey to design a range of furniture for their installation at the Earls Court Military Exhibition that year-- the “Officers Ideal Quarters.” The suite of rooms including a Hall, a Dining Room, and various bedrooms, all furnished in the latest “artistic” style, received excellent notices both in England and on the Continent. A photograph from The Artist (Volume 31, 1901) shows a chair identical in design to those in question against the wall in the Hall adjacent to a tall case clock and close to a rack for swords and polo mallets . . . "
