Hooded Chair
ca. 1890 - 1900 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This hooded chair was almost certainly made in Kirkwall by David Kirkness. The hooded chair was the most expensive of Kirkness's four chair types. The box beneath the seat, sometimes with a plain panel instead of a drawer, was seen in many Orkney chairs in the nineteenth century, but the hooded top was more unusual.
Originally designed to offer warmth, the hooded chair appealed to turn-of-the-century romanticism about the Scottish Islands as much as practical utility. This chair was one of a pair that belonged to the Welsh painter Augustus John (1878-1961). When acquired by the museum its drawer contained Volume II of Songs of the Hebrides, a song book published in 1917, further emphasising the chair's romantic associations.
Originally designed to offer warmth, the hooded chair appealed to turn-of-the-century romanticism about the Scottish Islands as much as practical utility. This chair was one of a pair that belonged to the Welsh painter Augustus John (1878-1961). When acquired by the museum its drawer contained Volume II of Songs of the Hebrides, a song book published in 1917, further emphasising the chair's romantic associations.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Back: straw (probably black oat) sewn with bent grass. Seat: rush over pine. Handle: cast brass |
| Brief description | Orkney hooded armchair, white pine and straw sewn with bent grass and rush, probably by David Kirkness, Orkney, ca. 1900 - 1920 |
| Physical description | Orkney hooded armchair. The back of the chair consists of straw, probably black oat, sewn with bent grass. The seat is rush over pine and the handle is made of cast brass. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Object history | Formerly owned by the painter Augustus John. |
| Summary | This hooded chair was almost certainly made in Kirkwall by David Kirkness. The hooded chair was the most expensive of Kirkness's four chair types. The box beneath the seat, sometimes with a plain panel instead of a drawer, was seen in many Orkney chairs in the nineteenth century, but the hooded top was more unusual. Originally designed to offer warmth, the hooded chair appealed to turn-of-the-century romanticism about the Scottish Islands as much as practical utility. This chair was one of a pair that belonged to the Welsh painter Augustus John (1878-1961). When acquired by the museum its drawer contained Volume II of Songs of the Hebrides, a song book published in 1917, further emphasising the chair's romantic associations. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.1-2012 |
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| Record created | January 24, 2012 |
| Record URL |
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