Chair
1685-1710 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The idea of using interwoven strips of rattan cane to make the seats and backs of chairs was a novelty of the 1660s, which immediately caught on. The idea, and the materials, both came from Asia. Cane seats and backs made the chairs much lighter than those conventionally upholstered and within a few years the new form of seating became extremely popular, creating a threat to both the makers of woollen cloth and the upholsterers. The older trades presented petitions to parliament but could not stop the rise of the new trade. This produced tens of thousands of caned chairs each year, chiefly in London, and many of them were exported. This chair, with its front legs and back panel both showing the motif of S-scrolls, was one of the most popular patterns for such chairs from the 1680s.
On loan to Provost Skeen's House.
On loan to Provost Skeen's House.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Walnut, turned and carved, with caned seat and back panels |
| Brief description | Chair, walnut, turned and carved with double S-scrolls, the seat and back panel caned |
| Physical description | A caned side chair of walnut, turned and carved, the seat and the arched panel of the back caned. The front legs are formed of S-scrolls and the frame of the back panel, including the cresting are carved with flat double-S scrolls and C-scrolls. The seat is separately framed and the front legs are tenoned up into the front corners. Modifications The woodwork is all stained dark. A previous borrower has added their inventory number to the back rail. Under the front rail a reinforcing batten has been added through which the replacement caning was worked. The back uprights have warped so the chair does not sit squarely. A metal bracket has been added behind the knee of the right front leg. There is a fracture to the front rail and a hole in the back panel carving. There are numerous areas of loss and filler. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | Bought for £3. 3s from Charles W. Brown 'C.W and J.H. Brown, Antique Furniture and China Dealers', 21 Oxford Street, London, from whom the Museum bought various small items of metalwork, woodworking tools and woodwork 1891-1907, according to the nominal file. (Brown is not listed in Mark Westgarth, A Biographical Dictionary of Nineteenth Century Antique & Curiosity Dealers (Regional Furniture vol. XXIII, 2009)). Nominal File MA/1/B291. At the time it was noted that it was 'repaired'. It was stock no. 9548. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | The idea of using interwoven strips of rattan cane to make the seats and backs of chairs was a novelty of the 1660s, which immediately caught on. The idea, and the materials, both came from Asia. Cane seats and backs made the chairs much lighter than those conventionally upholstered and within a few years the new form of seating became extremely popular, creating a threat to both the makers of woollen cloth and the upholsterers. The older trades presented petitions to parliament but could not stop the rise of the new trade. This produced tens of thousands of caned chairs each year, chiefly in London, and many of them were exported. This chair, with its front legs and back panel both showing the motif of S-scrolls, was one of the most popular patterns for such chairs from the 1680s. On loan to Provost Skeen's House. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 136-1898 |
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| Record created | June 28, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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