Footstool
ca. 1840-1860 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The style of this footstool reflects details of furniture design in Paris in the 1780s, but Parisian chairs and stools at that date were never made of veneered luxury woods, as these are. Veneering with tropical hardwoods was the work of cabinet-makers, known as ébénistes (from the word ‘ebony’), whereas joinery or chair-making was the work of menuisiers, who made carved furniture that was polished or painted or gilded.
John Jones, the original owner of this stool and its pair (1031-1882), was a military outfitter, who lived in London and used his wealth to form an extensive collection of French 18th-century decorative art. In 1882 he left the collection to the South Kensington Museum, the forerunner of the V&A. Jones was taken in by some 19th-century fakes, but it is unlikely that he was taken in by these. More probably, he saw these as useful reproduction pieces that would help to furnish his house in Piccadilly. He had a further pair which were covered in Aubusson tapestry.
John Jones, the original owner of this stool and its pair (1031-1882), was a military outfitter, who lived in London and used his wealth to form an extensive collection of French 18th-century decorative art. In 1882 he left the collection to the South Kensington Museum, the forerunner of the V&A. Jones was taken in by some 19th-century fakes, but it is unlikely that he was taken in by these. More probably, he saw these as useful reproduction pieces that would help to furnish his house in Piccadilly. He had a further pair which were covered in Aubusson tapestry.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Veneered in rosewood on oak, with gilt-bronze mounts; the upholstery covered in green silk velvet |
| Brief description | Footstool veneered in rosewood, with gilt-bronze mounts and feet; the upholstery of green velvet (probably not original) |
| Physical description | A rectangular footstool with a frame veneered in rosewood on oak, raised on four tall legs of gilt-bronze, the tops upholstered in green plush edged with green cording and gimp. The frames have outset, canted sections at the corners and the outer edge is set with a gilt-bronze guilloche band, set within a recess on the rail |
| Dimensions |
|
| Credit line | Bequeathed by John Jones |
| Object history | In the collection of John Jones before 1882 |
| Production | Probably made in London ca. 1840-600, in the French style of ca. 1780 |
| Summary | The style of this footstool reflects details of furniture design in Paris in the 1780s, but Parisian chairs and stools at that date were never made of veneered luxury woods, as these are. Veneering with tropical hardwoods was the work of cabinet-makers, known as ébénistes (from the word ‘ebony’), whereas joinery or chair-making was the work of menuisiers, who made carved furniture that was polished or painted or gilded. John Jones, the original owner of this stool and its pair (1031-1882), was a military outfitter, who lived in London and used his wealth to form an extensive collection of French 18th-century decorative art. In 1882 he left the collection to the South Kensington Museum, the forerunner of the V&A. Jones was taken in by some 19th-century fakes, but it is unlikely that he was taken in by these. More probably, he saw these as useful reproduction pieces that would help to furnish his house in Piccadilly. He had a further pair which were covered in Aubusson tapestry. |
| Associated object | |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1031A-1882 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | December 5, 2006 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
