Revolving round chair, known as a 'burgomaster chair', haldu veneered with ivory, caned seat, Vishakhapatnam, 1760-70.

Revolving round chair of haldu (Adina cordifolia), veneered with ivory, with a caned seat. Engraved foliate decoration filled with black lac, a few details inlaid with red lac. The concave open back is three-sided, each side defined by a straight top rail and a shaped lower back rail engraved on both sides with floral sprigs within foliate borders. Between the rails, on all three sections, is a central roundel pierced with a flowering plant. The inner two uprights are chamfered; the outer two are surmounted by solid ivory finials carved in the form of the head of a man wearing a wig. The caned overhanging seat is round and revolves on three brass wheels set into the upper face of the seat rail. The seat frame is veneered and engraved with ornamentation similar to that on the rest of the chair. A silver plaque on the inner face of the seat rail is engraved 'Formerly the property of Tipoo Saib, taken after the storming of Seringapatam and presented to Queen Charlotte by Warren Hastings' [a theory no longer held]. The chair has six cabriole legs joined by a spoke-shaped stretcher. The knees are engraved to simulate acanthus, and the undersides of the legs are engraved at the top wtih narrow leaves. The legs terminate in solid ivory squared claw feet on later brass casters.

From the collection of Miss Louisa Brown Nasmyth, sold for £115 10s. at Christie's on June 1, 1891, lot 116: 'A SOLID IVORY REVOLVING CHAIR, with round seat and back, pierced and carved with foliage, on six legs, with stretchers, the borders engraved with flowers and scroll foliage / Formerly the Property of Tippoo Saib, taken after the Storming of Seringapatam, presented to Queen Charlotte by Warren Hastings". Passed via Duveen to the Astor Collection at Hever Castle, sold by the 2nd Baron Astor in 1982 at Phillips, 15-16 May 1967, lot 1773 (Wood 2005, p. 671).
Bought from Temple Williams Ltd, Haunch of Venison Yard, Brook Street, London W1 in 1970 for £2000.

Towards the end of the 17th century, the traditional ivory inlayers and woodworkers of the city of Vishakhapatnam on the Coromandel Coast began to make furniture for Europeans living in India. Fine timbers, including teak, ebony, and various types of rosewood were all found in the region, while the scented sandalwood used to line boxes came from further south. Ivory was available locally, and easy to ship to the city's excellent harbour from elsewhere. By the 18th century, the manufacture of cabinets, writing desks, chairs, tables and small boxes and other items was well-established. Their characteristic style was known as 'Vizagapatam' work, after the European adaptation of the city's name. The distinctive incised motifs ornamenting the ivory are usually filled with black lac, though red lac was also used. Vizagapatam products were exported to major centres of trade and settlements such as Bombay (present-day Mumbai), Calcutta (Kolkata) and Madras (Chennai). In about the mid-18th century the traditional inlaid ivory was increasingly replaced with ivory veneer, always ornamented with black designs. The city's artisans supplied examples of their work to the major international exhibitions of the 19th century, and the industry survives to this day.

The current name for this type of chair is 'burgomaster' (from the Dutch 'burgemeester'). This name originated in the 19th century and suggests that chairs of this type were occupied by a person of rank. However, furniture makers in the Indian subcontinent and the East Indies made this type of chair from the 1600s onwards. In inventories from the Dutch East Indies and British India chairs of this design are simply called 'round chairs'. They are listed both as single objects as well as in pairs and sets of four and six. This shows that they were not used to indicate rank. The seat is always caned and usually rotates, as in this example. This suggests that this type of chair was originally used as a barber's chair (Dutch 'scheerstoel').

IS.25-1970