Windsor Chair
ca. 1750 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Windsor chairs are characterised by their solid wood seats, with legs and arm-supports dowelled into them. Their simple, strong construction made them ideal for use out of doors, although they would have been stored under cover. They can sometimes be seen in mid-18th-century paintings with a garden setting. Windsor chairs used outside were usually painted to protect them from damp. Such chairs were known in the 18th century as 'Forest chairs'. Such chairs might also be used inside in relatively grand houses, either in halls or libraries.
The green paint on this chair could be original; it was discovered under a later layer of brown, removed by the Museum in 1969. The seat is made of elm, carved in a saddle shape and chamfered, or shaped, at the edges. The splayed legs are characteristic of English 18th-century windsor chairs. The design of this chair is very close to two discovered in a church in Newark, so it is possible that it was made in that town, which had a noted trade in Windsor chairs.
The green paint on this chair could be original; it was discovered under a later layer of brown, removed by the Museum in 1969. The seat is made of elm, carved in a saddle shape and chamfered, or shaped, at the edges. The splayed legs are characteristic of English 18th-century windsor chairs. The design of this chair is very close to two discovered in a church in Newark, so it is possible that it was made in that town, which had a noted trade in Windsor chairs.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Elm seat, spindles, arm-bow and top rail of ash, legs of oak, all painted green. The seat is shaped with an adze, the spindles with a draw knife |
| Brief description | A comb-back Windsor armchair of simple form,with spindles shaped with a draw knife, painted green, probably for garden use. |
| Physical description | A comb-back Windsor armchair of simple form,with spindles shaped with a draw knife, painted green, probably for garden use. The elm seat is D-shaped and cut in saddle formation at the front. The legs, of oak, are tapering and turned, with thickened sections at the top and the base of each. The spindles are of ash, as are the front arm supports, which are of narrow, boards, shaped on the front edge. The ash arm bow is shaped into a deep curve by steaming and the ash top rail follows a shallower curve. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Bequeathed by D. A. MacAlister Esq. |
| Object history | When the V&A acquired this armchair it was covered in brown paint. The later paint layers were removed to restore the first green paint scheme. A pair of armchairs of closely similar form were discovered in a church in Newark, and published by William Sergeant in 2018 (see reference, below). The similarity between the three suggests that the V&A chair may be from the same workshop in the area of Newark, Nottinghamshire. A similar chair features in Antiques Trade Gazette, Issue 2391, 11 May 2019, p.40. |
| Historical context | Such simple Windsor chairs, often painted green, as this one was, were known as 'Forest chairs' and were used in gardens or garden buildings. They were light and easily portable. |
| Summary | Windsor chairs are characterised by their solid wood seats, with legs and arm-supports dowelled into them. Their simple, strong construction made them ideal for use out of doors, although they would have been stored under cover. They can sometimes be seen in mid-18th-century paintings with a garden setting. Windsor chairs used outside were usually painted to protect them from damp. Such chairs were known in the 18th century as 'Forest chairs'. Such chairs might also be used inside in relatively grand houses, either in halls or libraries. The green paint on this chair could be original; it was discovered under a later layer of brown, removed by the Museum in 1969. The seat is made of elm, carved in a saddle shape and chamfered, or shaped, at the edges. The splayed legs are characteristic of English 18th-century windsor chairs. The design of this chair is very close to two discovered in a church in Newark, so it is possible that it was made in that town, which had a noted trade in Windsor chairs. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.11-1969 |
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| Record created | January 24, 2001 |
| Record URL |
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