Chair thumbnail 1
Chair thumbnail 2
+22
images
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Chair

1640-1660 (made), 1850-1900 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown (maker)
Place of origin
England (made)

Oak chair (backstool) with chamfered legs, to which has been mounted (on modern sub-upholsery) turkeywork panels on the seat and back. The turkeywork panels are worked in a floral design in reds, blue and green on a black ground (the black has almost entirely been lost). On the reverse of the back panel a black wool cover has been nailed, covering over a modern blue woven backing fabric of 17th century pattern.

Object details

Category
Furniture
Object type
Chair
Materials and techniques
Oak frame, with turkeywork seat and back, on modern under-upholstery
Turkeywork
Upholstery
Brief description
Chair, English, with oak frame (1850-1900) and upholstery on seat and back (ca. 1650)
Physical description
Oak chair (backstool) with chamfered legs, to which has been mounted (on modern sub-upholsery) turkeywork panels on the seat and back. The turkeywork panels are worked in a floral design in reds, blue and green on a black ground (the black has almost entirely been lost). On the reverse of the back panel a black wool cover has been nailed, covering over a modern blue woven backing fabric of 17th century pattern.
Dimensions
  • Height: 37in
  • Width: 19in
  • Depth: 16in
Dimensions taken from green catalogue; not checked (12/07/2006).
Gallery label
(1968)
'Farthingdale' chair
Oak covered with 'Turkey work' textile in coloured wools. English, about 1610. Given by Col. G.B. Croft Lyons
'Turkey Work', the technique imitating imported Turkish carpets, was extensively used to cover chairs from 1600 onwards. The flowers are similar to contemporary English embroidery.
Credit line
Bequeathed by Lt. Col. G. B. Croft-Lyons FSA
Object history
Bequeathed by Lt. Col. G.B. Croft-Lyons FSA
Condition: 'Good. The chair has been recovered with the embroidery in recent times.'
Historical context
Comparable turkeywork
Information from S. Wolsey (26.X.1965): Part of a series of panels of which one is at Colonial Williamsburg and four at Brooklyn Museum (North Room. Jan Maiteus Schenk House)
Bibliographic references
  • From: H. Clifford Smith, Catalogue of English Furniture & Woodwork (London 1930), cat. 544. Chair, of farthingale type. It is covered in 'Turkey Work' embroidery in coloured wools. The corners of the legs and uprights are chamfered. English. About 1610. (The embroidery of slightly later date.) from catalogue: H. 3 ft. 1 in., W. 1 ft. 7 in., D. 1 ft. 4 in. (H. 94 cm, W. 48.3 cm, D. 40.6 cm) Croft Lyons Bequest
  • Charles H. Hayward, Antique or Fake? The Making of Old Furniture. London, Evans Brothers, 1970, illustrated p.123.
Collection
Furniture and Woodwork Collection
Accession number
W.63-1926

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Record createdJuly 12, 2006
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O125998/chair-unknown/
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