Armchair
1760-1765 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
In the early 1760s a new style was being developed in British design, based on classical motifs from ancient Greece and Rome. This chair was probably made in the very first years of this new style. Although we do not know who made it, it is close in style to furniture that was produced for Spencer House, London, for Earl Spencer and it is possible that it was supplied by the upholsterer John Gordon, who is known to have worked for the house.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Carved and gilded beechwood, with upholstery of silk damask |
| Brief description | Armchair, English, 1760-1765, gilded beechwood, the seat, back and arm pads upholstered in red silk damask. The legs are of fluted, columnar form, the seat rail carved with guilloche ornament. |
| Physical description | Armchair of gilded beechwood, the seat, back and arm pads upholstered in brownish red silk damask. The legs are of fluted, columnar form, the seat rail carved with guilloche ornament. The upholstery of the seat is on a detachable pad(this form of upholstery known as à chassis). It is held into the frame by a spring catch which engages with the lower rail. This is set within the fabric lining of the back and can be operated. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Object history | In 1972 Maurice Tomlin (see references below) linked this chair with the early designs in the neo-classical styles that were made for Spencer House, London and suggested that the maker may have been John Gordon, the London furniture maker. |
| Summary | In the early 1760s a new style was being developed in British design, based on classical motifs from ancient Greece and Rome. This chair was probably made in the very first years of this new style. Although we do not know who made it, it is close in style to furniture that was produced for Spencer House, London, for Earl Spencer and it is possible that it was supplied by the upholsterer John Gordon, who is known to have worked for the house. |
| Bibliographic reference | Tomlin, Maurice, Catalogue of Adam Period Furniture. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1972, cat. no. A/4, pp. 8-9 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.14-1967 |
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 | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
