Stool
ca. 1800 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
The design of the stool closely follows that of a marble seat in an unspecified location in Rome. Here the stool is made from beech wood, painted in white and grey to simulate the appearance of marble. Beech wood would have been much easier and less costly to carve than marble, and resulted in a more flexible seat which weighed less and could be moved around without difficulty.
People & Places
Charles Heathcote Tatham (1772-1842), the designer of this stool, arrived in Rome in July 1794. He stayed for two years gathering material for his significant of designs of ancient ornamental architecture. While in Italy Tatham not only drew and sketched, he also bought a large number of antique fragments for his employer and mentor, Henry Holland (1745-1806) who was architect to the Prince of Wales. These fragments are now in the possession of the Soane Museum, London. Letters from Tatham to Henry Holland, describing this period of his life in Rome, can be examined in the V&A 's Print Room (museum nos. D.1479 to1551-1898).
Design & Designing
Tatham's book, Etchings of Ancient Ornamental Architecture drawn from the Originals in Rome and other Parts of Italy..., was an immediate success. A second and third edition were issued in 1803 and 1810 respectively, and the style of linear engravings it employed was copied by Thomas Hope in Household Furniture and Interior Decoration... (1807).
The design of the stool closely follows that of a marble seat in an unspecified location in Rome. Here the stool is made from beech wood, painted in white and grey to simulate the appearance of marble. Beech wood would have been much easier and less costly to carve than marble, and resulted in a more flexible seat which weighed less and could be moved around without difficulty.
People & Places
Charles Heathcote Tatham (1772-1842), the designer of this stool, arrived in Rome in July 1794. He stayed for two years gathering material for his significant of designs of ancient ornamental architecture. While in Italy Tatham not only drew and sketched, he also bought a large number of antique fragments for his employer and mentor, Henry Holland (1745-1806) who was architect to the Prince of Wales. These fragments are now in the possession of the Soane Museum, London. Letters from Tatham to Henry Holland, describing this period of his life in Rome, can be examined in the V&A 's Print Room (museum nos. D.1479 to1551-1898).
Design & Designing
Tatham's book, Etchings of Ancient Ornamental Architecture drawn from the Originals in Rome and other Parts of Italy..., was an immediate success. A second and third edition were issued in 1803 and 1810 respectively, and the style of linear engravings it employed was copied by Thomas Hope in Household Furniture and Interior Decoration... (1807).
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Beechwood, painted to imitate marble |
| Brief description | Beechwood stool, carved with imitation drapery and painted to resemble marble. English, ca. 1800. Designed by Charles Heathcote Tatham. |
| Physical description | Rectangular stool on four rectangular tapering legs, with three deep flutes on the two outside faces, waisted above the curved feet which have indented fronts. The legs support roundels with concave moulded edges and four leaf rosettes carved into the fronts, and these project above the level of the seat. The stool is carved with fringed drapery, which is looped up behind the edges of the roundels and hangs down on all sides in rich folds. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Purchased with the assistance of the Brigadier Clark Fund through Art Fund |
| Object history | The stool is one of a pair from the Neave Collection at Dagenham Park, Essex. The pair to it is at Temple Newsam House, Leeds. The stools were formerly in the collection of Mrs Lancaster. Historical significance: This stool is based upon a design by Charles Heathcote Tatham, 'Etchings Representing the Best Examples of Ancient Ornamental Architecture', 1799, Plate XIII. A pair of stools of similar design, in giltwood, with drapery of red velvet, was sold from the collection of Della Howard, by Bonham's, 7 July 2021 (lot number not noted but published in the saleroom column of Country Life 28 July 2021 (vol. CCXVIII, no. 30), p. 115. Another of very similar form (also with drapery in fabric and fringing) was offered for sale by Christie's, London, 24 April 2008, lot 6. |
| Summary | Object Type The design of the stool closely follows that of a marble seat in an unspecified location in Rome. Here the stool is made from beech wood, painted in white and grey to simulate the appearance of marble. Beech wood would have been much easier and less costly to carve than marble, and resulted in a more flexible seat which weighed less and could be moved around without difficulty. People & Places Charles Heathcote Tatham (1772-1842), the designer of this stool, arrived in Rome in July 1794. He stayed for two years gathering material for his significant of designs of ancient ornamental architecture. While in Italy Tatham not only drew and sketched, he also bought a large number of antique fragments for his employer and mentor, Henry Holland (1745-1806) who was architect to the Prince of Wales. These fragments are now in the possession of the Soane Museum, London. Letters from Tatham to Henry Holland, describing this period of his life in Rome, can be examined in the V&A 's Print Room (museum nos. D.1479 to1551-1898). Design & Designing Tatham's book, Etchings of Ancient Ornamental Architecture drawn from the Originals in Rome and other Parts of Italy..., was an immediate success. A second and third edition were issued in 1803 and 1810 respectively, and the style of linear engravings it employed was copied by Thomas Hope in Household Furniture and Interior Decoration... (1807). |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.2-1975 |
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| Record created | June 11, 1998 |
| Record URL |
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