Throne Chair thumbnail 1
On display

Throne Chair

ca. 1820 (made)
Place of origin
Lucknow (made)

This chair is a rare surviving example of palace furniture from Lucknow in northern India. It was a gift from Ghazi-ud-din Haidar, Nawab and King of Oudh (ruled 1814 to 1827), to Lord Amherst, Governor-General of India. The nawab probably gave it to Amherst during the latter's visit to Lucknow in 1827. The Scottish artist Robert Home almost certainly designed this chair. He was court painter at Lucknow, where he devised regalia as well as royal carriages, howdahs, barges and palace furnishings. These followed European fashions but, like this chair, they often carried the twin-fish badge of the rulers of Lucknow.

Object details

Category
Furniture
Object type
Throne chair
Materials and techniques
Wood, with gilt brass and gilt gesso mounts, painted decoration and later blue velvet upholstery
Brief description
Throne chair; Lucknow, under European influence, ca.1820
Physical description
Throne chair based on a European prototype of the Egyptian revival, armchair of wood, with gilt brass and gilt gesso mounts with tapering fluted legs with claw feet; later blue velvet upholstered seat. Three carved fish support each of the arms, and seat back is supported by a pair of fish on either side of a dagger. Decorated with gilt metal mounts in the form of foliate motifs, putti and swans, and rosettes. Seat rail and back have painted decoration of scolling foliage and rosettes. Seat cushion, arm cushions and back pad of dark blue with gold trim.
Dimensions
  • Width: 61cm
  • Depth: 65.5cm
  • Height: 90cm
  • Height: 450mm (of seat from floor)
Credit line
Given by the 5th Earl Amherst of Arracan
Summary
This chair is a rare surviving example of palace furniture from Lucknow in northern India. It was a gift from Ghazi-ud-din Haidar, Nawab and King of Oudh (ruled 1814 to 1827), to Lord Amherst, Governor-General of India. The nawab probably gave it to Amherst during the latter's visit to Lucknow in 1827. The Scottish artist Robert Home almost certainly designed this chair. He was court painter at Lucknow, where he devised regalia as well as royal carriages, howdahs, barges and palace furnishings. These followed European fashions but, like this chair, they often carried the twin-fish badge of the rulers of Lucknow.
Bibliographic references
  • Jaffer, Amin Furniture from British India and Ceylon: A Catalogue of the Collections in the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Peabody Essex Museum. London : V&A Publications, 2001. 416 p., ill. ISBN 1851773185, p.302-3. pl.122.
  • Jackson, Anna and Jaffer, Amin (eds), with Deepika Ahlawat. Maharaja : the splendour of India's royal courts. London, V&A Publishing, 2009. ISBN.9781851775736 (hbk.), ISBN.1851775730 (hbk.). Plate 164, page 196.
  • Jackson, Anna and Ji Wei (eds.) with Rosemary Crill, Ainsley M. Cameron and Nicholas Barnard, compiled by the Palace Museum, translated by Yuan Hong, Qi Yue and Liu Ran. The Splendour of India' Royal Courts : Collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Beijing: the Forbidden City Publishing House, 2013. Text in English and Chinese. ISBN 9787513403917. pps. 244-245
  • Luxury goods from India : the art of the Indian cabinet maker / Amin Jaffer. London: V&A Publications, 2002 Number: 1851773819 pp.98-99
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
IS.6-1991

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Record createdMay 12, 2000
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O39550/throne-chair/
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