Not on display

Chair

ca. 1886 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Chair with mahogany frame, the high back and square seat both covered in silk and wool textile attributed to A.H. Lee of Birkenhead; the back terminates in an entablature with an central oval motif of contrasting veneer and the square section uprights of the back are finished with carved berry and leaf motifs at the top. The square section back legs are slightly curved outwards and the front legs curve out to the sides before terminating in square feet.

Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Mahogany; silk and wool
Brief description
Chair, ca. 1886, English, designed by The Century Guild and made by E. Goodall & Co.
Physical description
Chair with mahogany frame, the high back and square seat both covered in silk and wool textile attributed to A.H. Lee of Birkenhead; the back terminates in an entablature with an central oval motif of contrasting veneer and the square section uprights of the back are finished with carved berry and leaf motifs at the top. The square section back legs are slightly curved outwards and the front legs curve out to the sides before terminating in square feet.
Marks and inscriptions
E GOODALL AND CO MANCHESTER
Gallery label
CHAIR ENGLISH; 1886 Probably designed by A.H. Mackmurdo (1851-1942) Made by E. Goodall & Co., Manchester Mahogany A chair of this pattern was shown by the Century Guild at the International Exhibition of Navigation, Travelling, Commerce and Manufactures at Liverpool in 1886. Like much of the Century Guild furniture, it was made by Goodall and bears their stamp.(pre October 2000)
Object history
This chair is one of a set commissioned from the Century Guild by Henry Boddington for the dining room of Pownall Hall, Cheshire. The V&A chair is stamped by E.Goodall & Co., Manchester, the Guild's agents, who apparently made most of the furniture for Pownall Hall. At least three of the chairs, with a matching armchair, are visible in an early photograph of the room (collection Pownall Hall School). There are three other surviving chairs of the same design (two at William Morris Gallery, Walthamstow, and one in Manchester City Art Gallery). Manchester also own the matching armchair and another armchair, of different design with a high curved upholstered back, also visible in the early photograph. The early photograph of the dining room show all the seat furniture covered in the same fabric which survives on all five chairs. This has been identified as woven by A.H. Lee of Birkenhead.
Historical context
The Century Guild showed the first example of this chair at their stand at the International Exhibition of Navigation, Travelling, Commerce and Manufacture in Liverpool in 1886. The entire contents of the stand were bought by Henry Boddington who employed the Guild to decorate and furnish his home, Pownall Hall, Cheshire, including a set of these chairs for the dining room.
Collection
Accession number
W.74-1975

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Record createdJanuary 25, 2001
Record URL
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