Armchair
1600-1620 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Oak panel back armchair with carved back and lunette cresting.
The seat of parallelogram form, sometimes called 'caqueteuse'. The back panel carved with four lunettes joined by interlace ribbon, with a guilloche border all round. The reverse of the panel is fielded with a loosely-defined bevel. Plain wooden seat with a moulded edge, the side and front rails carved with a wide dentil (with incised ornament), and scrolled 'cusping' on their undersides. The front legs are turned with a baluster and reel above the seat, a block and baluster below. There are plain rectangular stretchers at front, back and sides. The rear uprights are full height and rectanular, angled backwards above the seat. The front faces of the rear uprights are carved with a 'pellet' mouding. The cresting consists of a semi-circle with guilloche, above a 'rail' with rosettes and half-rosettes.
Construction
Joined construction, with some nails. The crest is a single piece of wood tenoned into (and between) the rear uprights. The seat consists of two boards pegged into the side rails. The horizontal shaped arms are tenoned into the front face of the chair rear uprights; the front legs are tenoned into the underside of the arm. Where the arms have worn on their upper surface, the front leg tenons have broken through.
A thick dark-pigmented varnish had been applied over all the show surfaces with a brush, probably in the 19th century. A sample was taken (Nov 2015) and kept on file when much of the varnish was removed.
Modifications
The feet probably reduced in height. Split in seat at front right corner. The back plank of the seat is of a different character of wood to the front plank, and has been fixed with nails (possibly replacing pegs), so it may be a replacement made at any early date. The front right seat corner has been repaired.
The seat of parallelogram form, sometimes called 'caqueteuse'. The back panel carved with four lunettes joined by interlace ribbon, with a guilloche border all round. The reverse of the panel is fielded with a loosely-defined bevel. Plain wooden seat with a moulded edge, the side and front rails carved with a wide dentil (with incised ornament), and scrolled 'cusping' on their undersides. The front legs are turned with a baluster and reel above the seat, a block and baluster below. There are plain rectangular stretchers at front, back and sides. The rear uprights are full height and rectanular, angled backwards above the seat. The front faces of the rear uprights are carved with a 'pellet' mouding. The cresting consists of a semi-circle with guilloche, above a 'rail' with rosettes and half-rosettes.
Construction
Joined construction, with some nails. The crest is a single piece of wood tenoned into (and between) the rear uprights. The seat consists of two boards pegged into the side rails. The horizontal shaped arms are tenoned into the front face of the chair rear uprights; the front legs are tenoned into the underside of the arm. Where the arms have worn on their upper surface, the front leg tenons have broken through.
A thick dark-pigmented varnish had been applied over all the show surfaces with a brush, probably in the 19th century. A sample was taken (Nov 2015) and kept on file when much of the varnish was removed.
Modifications
The feet probably reduced in height. Split in seat at front right corner. The back plank of the seat is of a different character of wood to the front plank, and has been fixed with nails (possibly replacing pegs), so it may be a replacement made at any early date. The front right seat corner has been repaired.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Oak, joined, carved and turned |
| Brief description | English (Salisbury), 1580-1630, oak, 78/2050 |
| Physical description | Oak panel back armchair with carved back and lunette cresting. The seat of parallelogram form, sometimes called 'caqueteuse'. The back panel carved with four lunettes joined by interlace ribbon, with a guilloche border all round. The reverse of the panel is fielded with a loosely-defined bevel. Plain wooden seat with a moulded edge, the side and front rails carved with a wide dentil (with incised ornament), and scrolled 'cusping' on their undersides. The front legs are turned with a baluster and reel above the seat, a block and baluster below. There are plain rectangular stretchers at front, back and sides. The rear uprights are full height and rectanular, angled backwards above the seat. The front faces of the rear uprights are carved with a 'pellet' mouding. The cresting consists of a semi-circle with guilloche, above a 'rail' with rosettes and half-rosettes. Construction Joined construction, with some nails. The crest is a single piece of wood tenoned into (and between) the rear uprights. The seat consists of two boards pegged into the side rails. The horizontal shaped arms are tenoned into the front face of the chair rear uprights; the front legs are tenoned into the underside of the arm. Where the arms have worn on their upper surface, the front leg tenons have broken through. A thick dark-pigmented varnish had been applied over all the show surfaces with a brush, probably in the 19th century. A sample was taken (Nov 2015) and kept on file when much of the varnish was removed. Modifications The feet probably reduced in height. Split in seat at front right corner. The back plank of the seat is of a different character of wood to the front plank, and has been fixed with nails (possibly replacing pegs), so it may be a replacement made at any early date. The front right seat corner has been repaired. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | CM (Worked with a gouge or stamp in the front right leg block, below the seat) |
| Credit line | Given by Lt. Colonel Sir Michael Peto, Bt. |
| Object history | Given by Lt. Colonel Sir Michael Peto, Bt. RP 64/2295 RPs record gift from Lt. Colonel Sir Michael Peto, Bt., of Iford Manor, nr Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire. He inherited it from his uncle Harold Peto, apparently a collector (of antiquities and sculpture principally). In 1957 it was listed in the dining hall at Iford. He also gave the French chest W.22-1965. Iford Manor, Wiltshire, the property of Mr H.A. Peto – I and II, in Country Life, Aug. 26th 1922, pp.242-8, and Sept. 2nd 1922, pp.272-7. The chair is visible in fig. 2 The Hall, in article I. |
| Historical context | Notes made during examination with Michael Legg (2003): Legs cut down and finials missing (one filled). Stain has been added, but note good air burn under seat. The legs share with other Salisbury chairs and tables a distinctive square section despite the fact that the side stretchers are jointed to them at an awkward angle. Likewise the arms on Salisbury chairs are always tenoned into the front face of the rear uprights, rather than the side or bridging the corner. Other Salisbury characteristics are: the prominent lunette crest, the arm supports fitted to the arms with a turned tenon housed in a drilled mortice-hole, the form of the arms, which do not curve inwards to enclose the sitter (unlike Scottish chairs). For other examples of Salisbury chairs, see Victor Chinnery (Oak Furniture, 1979) pp. 448-454, including Salisbury mayoral chairs and work attributed to the workshop of Humphrey Beckham (1588-1671). Note by PK Thornton (1968) Reading Harvard on Caquetoire, I can see no reason for naming this sort of chair a Caquetoire at all. In all the instance she mentions, bar one,these chairs are covered with material of some kind (couvertes de velours, garniee de serge, etc.). They are sometimes described as small and sometimes low. It seems from this more likely that the caquetoire was what we often call a 'farthingale chair' or a coffer-maker's chair (which were always covered) and I would therefore recommend that we drop this misleading term until better evidence comes along. |
| Bibliographic reference | ‘Mr. Harold Peto’s Collection’ by ‘M.J.’ in Country Life, April 10th, 1926 (vol. LIX) |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.21-1965 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | November 18, 2005 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
