Not currently on display at the V&A

Settee

1900-1950 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Double chair back settee. Made in Walnut except for the seat which appears to be stained oak. Made in the George II style but probably in the 20th century.
The settee copies what is often referred to as a Giles Grendey style piece - this is seen in shape of the splats, the hoop back, the form of the leg with ball and claw feet and a shell motif at the top where the leg joins the seat rail, and the eagle arms. At the time it was made the maker would not have known that it was Grendey's work that they copied but they would have been familiar with the model.

The arm support is tenonned up into the arm rest. The seat rail is rebated to sit on the seat rail moulding and screwed from the outside with two plug screws. The arm rest is pieced-out on the outside of the back half and inner edge just in front of the back stile. The splats are joined by bare-faced tenons to the top rail where they are tenonned on the back face and to the shoe where there are tenonned on the front face. The shoe is glued down to the back seat rail. The inner stiles are tenonned to the back seat rail not through the shoe - i.e. the shoe stops at each back rail and there is a little section of quasi-shoe between them.
On the right-hand chair-back are repairs with either dowels or plugged screws on either side of the top rail. On the left side are repairs to two long cracks in the grain, plugs are used on the underside of the rail. On the right side there are plugs on the underside of the rail but they are closer to the splat securing the crack above the splat on the top rail. It is possible these cracks appeared due to the low quality of the wood which appears to be almost sap wood. The repairs may have been there since construction.

The drop-in seat has a bottoming so the construction cannot be seen. The green velvet could be original - perhaps the bottoming is also original; but has been refixed.
The left arm (when facing) has a patch above the arm rest on the back stile.


Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Brief description
Settee, English ,1900-1950
Physical description
Double chair back settee. Made in Walnut except for the seat which appears to be stained oak. Made in the George II style but probably in the 20th century.
The settee copies what is often referred to as a Giles Grendey style piece - this is seen in shape of the splats, the hoop back, the form of the leg with ball and claw feet and a shell motif at the top where the leg joins the seat rail, and the eagle arms. At the time it was made the maker would not have known that it was Grendey's work that they copied but they would have been familiar with the model.

The arm support is tenonned up into the arm rest. The seat rail is rebated to sit on the seat rail moulding and screwed from the outside with two plug screws. The arm rest is pieced-out on the outside of the back half and inner edge just in front of the back stile. The splats are joined by bare-faced tenons to the top rail where they are tenonned on the back face and to the shoe where there are tenonned on the front face. The shoe is glued down to the back seat rail. The inner stiles are tenonned to the back seat rail not through the shoe - i.e. the shoe stops at each back rail and there is a little section of quasi-shoe between them.
On the right-hand chair-back are repairs with either dowels or plugged screws on either side of the top rail. On the left side are repairs to two long cracks in the grain, plugs are used on the underside of the rail. On the right side there are plugs on the underside of the rail but they are closer to the splat securing the crack above the splat on the top rail. It is possible these cracks appeared due to the low quality of the wood which appears to be almost sap wood. The repairs may have been there since construction.

The drop-in seat has a bottoming so the construction cannot be seen. The green velvet could be original - perhaps the bottoming is also original; but has been refixed.
The left arm (when facing) has a patch above the arm rest on the back stile.
Dimensions
  • Height: 3.4ft (Note: Dimensions taken from registered description)
  • Length: 4.5ft (Note: Dimensions taken from registered description)
  • Depth: 2.4ft (Note: Dimensions taken from registered description)
Credit line
Bequeathed by C. D. Rotch
Collection
Accession number
W.90-1962

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Record createdApril 1, 2005
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