Chair
1725-1730 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This chair, formerly one of a set, is nearly identical to the chairs (Museum nos W.1 to 21-2001) in the second 'state apartment' at Houghton Hall in Norfolk. It was undoubtedly made in the same London workshop, probably that of Thomas Roberts junior. The original history of the present chair is not known, but it must have formed part of the furnishings of another fashionable house. Even its green velvet covers, which are original, match those at Houghton, so it may have been commissioned by a patron who had seen and admired the Houghton set.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Burr walnut veneer, with details in carved and gilt gesso; upholstered in green velvet, with brass nailing |
| Brief description | Chair upholstered in green velvet with cabriole forelegs and conforming ogee back legs on stylised square-hoof feet. Legs and seat rail veneered in burr walnut, edged with water-gilded gesso decoration. Front seat rail centred with a symmetrical gilt-gesso ornament of banded, stylised foliage. |
| Physical description | Chair with rectangular back and trapezoidal seat, upholstered in green velvet with brass nailing, raised on cabriole forelegs and conforming ogee back legs, all with stylised square-hoof feet. Legs and adjoining seat rail veneered in burr walnut, edged with water-gilded gesso decoration. Front seat rail centred with a symmetrical gilt-gesso ornament of banded, stylised foliage. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Production | This chair is of nearly identical model to the long set made for the Embroidered Bedroom and the Cabinet at Houghton, which are likely to be by Thomas Roberts junior. A long account from Roberts to Sir Robert Walpole survives at Houghton, for work carried out c. 1729, chiefly for houses in London. Given that Walpole discarded almost all the accounts relating to the furnishing of the state apartment at Houghton, this isolated bill is the only documentary clue to the maker of this furniture. |
| Summary | This chair, formerly one of a set, is nearly identical to the chairs (Museum nos W.1 to 21-2001) in the second 'state apartment' at Houghton Hall in Norfolk. It was undoubtedly made in the same London workshop, probably that of Thomas Roberts junior. The original history of the present chair is not known, but it must have formed part of the furnishings of another fashionable house. Even its green velvet covers, which are original, match those at Houghton, so it may have been commissioned by a patron who had seen and admired the Houghton set. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.15-1960 |
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| Record created | January 26, 2001 |
| Record URL |
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