Fly Chair
1834-1835 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
This light chair is one of a set of 18 made for a drawing room. It was designed to be easily moved around a table or grouped with other large chairs and a sofa.
Place
The chair comes from the Court Drawing Room at Goldsmiths' Hall, London. The room, which was intended for use by female guests, was originally decorated in a red, white and gold scheme. It had patterned crimson satin curtains and wall hangings bordered by gold and white mouldings. The seat furniture, which was covered with crimson silk damask, included three window seats, two sofas, four large armchairs and eight small chairs, as well as the fly chairs.
Materials & Making
W. & C. Wilkinson, upholsterers and decorators, were chosen by the Goldsmiths' Company to supply the furniture. Their detailed specification of 1834 shows that initially the Company was offered alternative finishes for the furniture: carved rosewood with French polish, or painted and gilt beech, both with crimson damask upholstery. The slightly cheaper option of a painted and gilded finish was chosen. Wilkinsons provided scale drawings of the furniture designs, which were then approved by Philip Hardwick, the architect in charge of the project, and passed to the individual carver. The fly chairs were ready in 1835, at a cost of £23 14s each.
This light chair is one of a set of 18 made for a drawing room. It was designed to be easily moved around a table or grouped with other large chairs and a sofa.
Place
The chair comes from the Court Drawing Room at Goldsmiths' Hall, London. The room, which was intended for use by female guests, was originally decorated in a red, white and gold scheme. It had patterned crimson satin curtains and wall hangings bordered by gold and white mouldings. The seat furniture, which was covered with crimson silk damask, included three window seats, two sofas, four large armchairs and eight small chairs, as well as the fly chairs.
Materials & Making
W. & C. Wilkinson, upholsterers and decorators, were chosen by the Goldsmiths' Company to supply the furniture. Their detailed specification of 1834 shows that initially the Company was offered alternative finishes for the furniture: carved rosewood with French polish, or painted and gilt beech, both with crimson damask upholstery. The slightly cheaper option of a painted and gilded finish was chosen. Wilkinsons provided scale drawings of the furniture designs, which were then approved by Philip Hardwick, the architect in charge of the project, and passed to the individual carver. The fly chairs were ready in 1835, at a cost of £23 14s each.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Beech, carved, painted and gilded; modern upholstery |
| Brief description | Fly chair, English, 1834-1835, designed by Philip Hardwick manufactured by W.& C. Wilkinson for the court drawing room at the Goldsmiths Hall |
| Physical description | Beech fly chair, with decorative carved mouldings, gilded and painted white, seat and back upholstered with damask |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Object history | Made for the Court Drawing Room, Goldsmiths' Hall. Fly chairs were small and easily moveable. The design is loosely based on French chairs of the 1750s, with curving 'cabriole' legs. The strongly coloured silk, contrasting with the white and gold woodwork, was also a French feature. |
| Summary | Object Type This light chair is one of a set of 18 made for a drawing room. It was designed to be easily moved around a table or grouped with other large chairs and a sofa. Place The chair comes from the Court Drawing Room at Goldsmiths' Hall, London. The room, which was intended for use by female guests, was originally decorated in a red, white and gold scheme. It had patterned crimson satin curtains and wall hangings bordered by gold and white mouldings. The seat furniture, which was covered with crimson silk damask, included three window seats, two sofas, four large armchairs and eight small chairs, as well as the fly chairs. Materials & Making W. & C. Wilkinson, upholsterers and decorators, were chosen by the Goldsmiths' Company to supply the furniture. Their detailed specification of 1834 shows that initially the Company was offered alternative finishes for the furniture: carved rosewood with French polish, or painted and gilt beech, both with crimson damask upholstery. The slightly cheaper option of a painted and gilded finish was chosen. Wilkinsons provided scale drawings of the furniture designs, which were then approved by Philip Hardwick, the architect in charge of the project, and passed to the individual carver. The fly chairs were ready in 1835, at a cost of £23 14s each. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.1-1964 |
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| Record created | January 26, 2001 |
| Record URL |
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