Armchair
1899-1900 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
This chair is a variation of Walton's 'Lovat' chair, which had caned side and back panels instead of wooden slats. The simple heart-shaped motif in mother-of-pearl on the back rail was also part of the Lovat design and is typical of Walton's elegant decorative style.
People
The chair belonged to John Llewellyn, one of Arthur Lasenby Liberty's fellow directors at Liberty's. Llewellyn was a leading light at Liberty's and, after joining the company in 1889, took only three years to become head of the Silk Department. In 1898 he was appointed to the board and was instrumental in commissioning and promoting Liberty's range of Art Nouveau furnishing fabrics.
Design & Designing
Liberty's established its own furniture design studio in 1883 and a workshop in 1887. However, not everything was designed or made in-house. The firm increasingly bought designs from independent artists such as Walton and also continued its relationship with independent manufacturers such as William Birch of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. This chair was made by Birch and the original design is in the Birch records at High Wycombe Public Library.
Time
Chairs with tall backs were a feature of progressive furniture design in the 1890s. It is possible that this taste for height was inspired by the attenuated and elegant forms found in Japanese art. Since the 1870s it had been fashionable to collect prints and artefacts from Japan, and Walton is known to have had his own set of Japanese pattern books.
This chair is a variation of Walton's 'Lovat' chair, which had caned side and back panels instead of wooden slats. The simple heart-shaped motif in mother-of-pearl on the back rail was also part of the Lovat design and is typical of Walton's elegant decorative style.
People
The chair belonged to John Llewellyn, one of Arthur Lasenby Liberty's fellow directors at Liberty's. Llewellyn was a leading light at Liberty's and, after joining the company in 1889, took only three years to become head of the Silk Department. In 1898 he was appointed to the board and was instrumental in commissioning and promoting Liberty's range of Art Nouveau furnishing fabrics.
Design & Designing
Liberty's established its own furniture design studio in 1883 and a workshop in 1887. However, not everything was designed or made in-house. The firm increasingly bought designs from independent artists such as Walton and also continued its relationship with independent manufacturers such as William Birch of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. This chair was made by Birch and the original design is in the Birch records at High Wycombe Public Library.
Time
Chairs with tall backs were a feature of progressive furniture design in the 1890s. It is possible that this taste for height was inspired by the attenuated and elegant forms found in Japanese art. Since the 1870s it had been fashionable to collect prints and artefacts from Japan, and Walton is known to have had his own set of Japanese pattern books.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Walnut with mother of pearl |
| Brief description | Walnut armchair inlaid with mother of pearl, designed by George Walton and made for Liberty's by William Birch of High Wycombe. British, 1899-1900. |
| Physical description | Walnut armchair inlaid with mother of pearl. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | Made for Liberty's. Original design Birch records no. 745 (1899) in High Wycombe Public Library. The provenance of this piece comes through Miss Nesta Llewellyn, a daughter of John Llewellyn, one of Arthur Lasenby Liberty's fellow directors of the firm of that name. The museum also acquired Liberty silver (M.304 to 306-1975) and glassware from the same source. |
| Summary | Object Type This chair is a variation of Walton's 'Lovat' chair, which had caned side and back panels instead of wooden slats. The simple heart-shaped motif in mother-of-pearl on the back rail was also part of the Lovat design and is typical of Walton's elegant decorative style. People The chair belonged to John Llewellyn, one of Arthur Lasenby Liberty's fellow directors at Liberty's. Llewellyn was a leading light at Liberty's and, after joining the company in 1889, took only three years to become head of the Silk Department. In 1898 he was appointed to the board and was instrumental in commissioning and promoting Liberty's range of Art Nouveau furnishing fabrics. Design & Designing Liberty's established its own furniture design studio in 1883 and a workshop in 1887. However, not everything was designed or made in-house. The firm increasingly bought designs from independent artists such as Walton and also continued its relationship with independent manufacturers such as William Birch of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. This chair was made by Birch and the original design is in the Birch records at High Wycombe Public Library. Time Chairs with tall backs were a feature of progressive furniture design in the 1890s. It is possible that this taste for height was inspired by the attenuated and elegant forms found in Japanese art. Since the 1870s it had been fashionable to collect prints and artefacts from Japan, and Walton is known to have had his own set of Japanese pattern books. |
| Associated object | |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.77-1975 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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