Stool
1987-1988 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This stool was designed by Nick Allen and manufactured by his own company, Inventive Design Ltd, in 1987-8. The stool is constructed from a steel frame with a curved sycamore seat. The seat is decorated with an oval enamelled metal plaque featuring a figure based on a sculpture of a dancing faun found in the archaeological excavations at Pompeii in the 18th century.
The use of classical imagery is a typical feature of post-modernism. Designs from the 1980s often used revived Neo-classical styles, but executed in contemporary materials. The 1980s saw an increase of designers working outside of the craft tradition, producing objects for a new style-conscious market with a high disposable income.
The use of classical imagery is a typical feature of post-modernism. Designs from the 1980s often used revived Neo-classical styles, but executed in contemporary materials. The 1980s saw an increase of designers working outside of the craft tradition, producing objects for a new style-conscious market with a high disposable income.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Shot-blasted steel frame, with sycamore seat stained Indian Red and enamelled metal plaque |
| Brief description | Stool, des. Nick Allen, man. Inventive Design Ltd, 1987-8 |
| Physical description | Stool with steel frame and curved sycamore seat. Oval enamelled metal plaque on front of stool between seat and top strut, decorated with a figure based on a sculpture of a dancing faun from Pompeii, now in the Naples Museum. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Object history | This stool is not a serious exercise in antiquarianism but a hybrid of revived neo-classical forms, executed using contemporary materials. Postmodernism allowed the re-introduction of historical, particularly classical, references to the vocabulary of decoration, which had been banished by Modernism. |
| Historical context | This stool was made by Nick Allen's own company. The 1980s saw an increase of designe/makers working outside the craft tradition, producing objects of distinction for a style-conscious market fuelled by economic prosperity. |
| Summary | This stool was designed by Nick Allen and manufactured by his own company, Inventive Design Ltd, in 1987-8. The stool is constructed from a steel frame with a curved sycamore seat. The seat is decorated with an oval enamelled metal plaque featuring a figure based on a sculpture of a dancing faun found in the archaeological excavations at Pompeii in the 18th century. The use of classical imagery is a typical feature of post-modernism. Designs from the 1980s often used revived Neo-classical styles, but executed in contemporary materials. The 1980s saw an increase of designers working outside of the craft tradition, producing objects for a new style-conscious market with a high disposable income. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.8-1988 |
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| Record created | January 31, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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