Ampleforth Chair
Armchair
1932 (made)
1932 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This armchair was designed by Robert Thompson, a craftsman based in Kilburn, North Yorkshire, and was made in his workshop. All of his furniture bore a carved mouse, giving rise to his name, 'The Mouseman'. The chair is made of solid oak and shaped with an adze and carved by hand with leather upholstery. In the centre of the back is a shield bearing the monogram AC and the date 1932. The arm splats are decorated with the Yorkshire Tudor Rose and the chair also bears the head of a cat and two mice carved in relief. The chair was possibly made as a gift from Thompson to Arthur Coates for his 70th birthday in 1932. Coates had worked in the joinery workshop of Thompson's father and may have taught Robert Thompson how to carve.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Titles |
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| Materials and techniques | Oak, shaped with an adze and carved; woven leather |
| Brief description | Armchair, oak and woven leather, designed by Robert Thompson and made by his workshop, Kilburn, 1932 |
| Physical description | An oak armchair with a leather seat, in the form of a nineteenth century desk chair. A shield on the back bears the monogram AC and the date 1932. Roses of Yorkshire are carved into the splats of the arms; the head of a cat is carved in relief into the junction of the back and the proper right arm; a mouse in relief is carved at the junction of the back and the proper left arm; and a mouse in relief carved on the outside of the proper right leg. Oak, shaped with an adze and carved. The drop in seat is formed of woven leather strips. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | 'A C / 1932' |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Given by Philip and Elizabeth Hodgson in memory of Kenneth Hodgson |
| Object history | Given by Philip and Elizabeth Hodgson in memory of Kenneth Hodgson |
| Production | Robert Thompson was known as 'The Mouseman'. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This armchair was designed by Robert Thompson, a craftsman based in Kilburn, North Yorkshire, and was made in his workshop. All of his furniture bore a carved mouse, giving rise to his name, 'The Mouseman'. The chair is made of solid oak and shaped with an adze and carved by hand with leather upholstery. In the centre of the back is a shield bearing the monogram AC and the date 1932. The arm splats are decorated with the Yorkshire Tudor Rose and the chair also bears the head of a cat and two mice carved in relief. The chair was possibly made as a gift from Thompson to Arthur Coates for his 70th birthday in 1932. Coates had worked in the joinery workshop of Thompson's father and may have taught Robert Thompson how to carve. |
| Bibliographic reference | Hodgson, Elizabeth Anna. Kenneth Hodgson and his collection of Robert (Mouseman) Thompson furniture. Published by Philip K.G. and Elizabeth Hodgson, 2008 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.4-2005 |
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| Record created | May 17, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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