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Chair
chippendale, born 1718 - died 1779 - Enlarge image
Chair
- Place of origin:
England, Great Britain (north-west, made)
- Date:
1754-1780 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
chippendale, born 1718 - died 1779 (designer)
- Materials and Techniques:
Carved mahogany
- Credit Line:
Bequeathed by Miss Amy E. Tomes
- Museum number:
W.65-1940
- Gallery location:
British Galleries, room 118a, case 2
Object Type
Side chairs were designed for dining or playing at cards. When not in use, they were placed against the wall, where the elaborate backs created a decorative effect.
Design & Designing
This is the only chair design by Thomas Chippendale (1718-1779) which appears twice in the 3rd edition of the The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director (1762). The design appeared in the first edition published in 1754 (the plate was engraved the previous year). The 18th-century inscription on the underside of the shoe of one of the chairs in this set of '6 pedestels for Chipendel's Backs' shows that they were then recognised as a Chippendale design. 'Pedestel' was the 18th-century term for shoe, the section immediately above the back rail surrounding the base of the back splat.
Materials & Making
Chippendale's notes to the plate recommend that the design should be carefully drawn to scale before carving. He indicates that the fabric used to cover such chairs usually matches the window curtains. The height of the back should never be more than 22 inches (56 centimetres) above that of the seat. The quality of the mahogany used for this set suggests they were made in the north-west of England, where the finest timbers were imported directly from the West Indies.
