Chair
1815-1818 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
The upholstery on this chair has been replaced, using contemporary illustrations of the chair and wool copying fragments of the original cover. Under the upholstery, the chair is stamped with the numerals XXIV, suggesting that it was part of a large set.
People
Sir Godfrey Vassal Webster (1789-1836) inherited Battle Abbey in 1810 and began an expensive programme of restoration in appropriate medieval style. One of his unlucky creditors was George Bullock (?1782-1818), who supplied furniture that included this chair, for Battle Abbey. Sir Godfrey's cheque for £1000, made out to Bullock, was bounced by Sir Godfrey's bank. Finally Sir Godfrey, an inveterate gambler, moved abroad to escape his creditors, where he died in 1836, leaving his widow to settle his debts.
Place
Battle Abbey was founded by William the Conqueror on the site of the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and was rebuilt by 1500. Sir Godfrey Webster's programme of restoration, 1812-1822, included the reroofing of the medieval Great Hall and work on the former Abbot's house. He commissioned appropriate furniture, including a set of these chairs, some of which were in the Ante Room and others in the Dining Room in 1832.
The upholstery on this chair has been replaced, using contemporary illustrations of the chair and wool copying fragments of the original cover. Under the upholstery, the chair is stamped with the numerals XXIV, suggesting that it was part of a large set.
People
Sir Godfrey Vassal Webster (1789-1836) inherited Battle Abbey in 1810 and began an expensive programme of restoration in appropriate medieval style. One of his unlucky creditors was George Bullock (?1782-1818), who supplied furniture that included this chair, for Battle Abbey. Sir Godfrey's cheque for £1000, made out to Bullock, was bounced by Sir Godfrey's bank. Finally Sir Godfrey, an inveterate gambler, moved abroad to escape his creditors, where he died in 1836, leaving his widow to settle his debts.
Place
Battle Abbey was founded by William the Conqueror on the site of the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and was rebuilt by 1500. Sir Godfrey Webster's programme of restoration, 1812-1822, included the reroofing of the medieval Great Hall and work on the former Abbot's house. He commissioned appropriate furniture, including a set of these chairs, some of which were in the Ante Room and others in the Dining Room in 1832.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Oak, painted and gilded, with gilt-brass mounts; replacement upholstery based on original |
| Brief description | Oak chair, gilded and painted, with an upholstered seat and back, in the style of the 17th century. British, 1815-1818. Probably designed by Richard Bridgens; made in the workshop of George Bullock. |
| Physical description | The frame is of stained oak, partly gilded and painted crimson, with an upholstered back and seat and gilt brass decoration. The back has a rectangular upholstered panel flanked by two spiral-twist uprights and set between two cross rails, each ornamented with five gilt-brass rosette studs. The top rail is surmounted by a tall arched cresting and roundels at the corners framing large gilt brass rosettes. In the centre of the cresting is a large shaped gilt-brass shield bearing the Webster family crest. The upholstered seat is supported on four bulbous turned legs with blocks with chamfered corners at the junctions with the H-shaped stretchers, which also have blocks in the centre. The chair is upholstered in crimson cloth and there is a deep fringe around the seat. |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Object history | Probably designed by the architect Richard Bridgens (born in 1785, died in Port of Spain, Trinidad, 1846); made in the London workshop of George Bullock (born in 1782 or 1783, died in London, 1818). Commissioned for Battle Abbey, Sussex, by Sir Godfrey Vassal Webster (1789-1836) whose crest is on the back. It was sold by Battle Abbey Settled Estates at Christies 23/10/1980. It was reupholstered in February 1988. Another chair from the same set is in Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. Historical significance: The chair is designed in the 17th century style, which was known in the early 19th century as the 'Tudor' style. The design was illustrated in Ackermann's 'Repository of Arts' (1817) as a library chair, 'for a bookroom in a mansion built in the seventeenth century'. There is a tracing by Thomas Wilkinson of the original design in Birmingham Museum. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Object Type The upholstery on this chair has been replaced, using contemporary illustrations of the chair and wool copying fragments of the original cover. Under the upholstery, the chair is stamped with the numerals XXIV, suggesting that it was part of a large set. People Sir Godfrey Vassal Webster (1789-1836) inherited Battle Abbey in 1810 and began an expensive programme of restoration in appropriate medieval style. One of his unlucky creditors was George Bullock (?1782-1818), who supplied furniture that included this chair, for Battle Abbey. Sir Godfrey's cheque for £1000, made out to Bullock, was bounced by Sir Godfrey's bank. Finally Sir Godfrey, an inveterate gambler, moved abroad to escape his creditors, where he died in 1836, leaving his widow to settle his debts. Place Battle Abbey was founded by William the Conqueror on the site of the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and was rebuilt by 1500. Sir Godfrey Webster's programme of restoration, 1812-1822, included the reroofing of the medieval Great Hall and work on the former Abbot's house. He commissioned appropriate furniture, including a set of these chairs, some of which were in the Ante Room and others in the Dining Room in 1832. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.53-1980 |
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| Record created | June 11, 1998 |
| Record URL |
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