Armchair
c. 1790 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
France has been the source of designs for chairs in Britain since the development of the Rococo style in the 1740s but it became particularly strong in the 1790s. The Prince of Wales, whose decorating schemes at Carlton House, London, were particularly strongly copied, used French designers and makers as well as importing some pieces directly from France. This armchair, which must once have formed part of an impressive set, shows strong influences from France (for example, the channelled finish on the legs and back, the gilt-brass mounts) and may have been made by François Hervé, a chairmaker who fled from the revolution in Paris to set up in London and who made chairs with a similar design in the back for Lady Spencer at Althorp in 1791. The use of the lyre as a model for the splat of a chair was fairly widely used and both Robert Adam (1728-1792) and John Linnell (1729-1796) had already produced chair design incorporating this motif.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Carved mahogany, with brass rods, the upholstery of the seat modern |
| Brief description | Armchair of carved mahogany, the seat upholstered and covered in a striped fabric, the square back with a central splat in the form of a lyre, the 'strings' made of fine brass rod, which also fills the spaces under the down-curving mahogany arms. |
| Physical description | Armchair of carved mahogany, the seat upholstered and covered in a striped fabric, the square back with a central splat in the form of a lyre, the 'strings' made of fine brass rod, which also fills the spaces under the down-curving mahogany arms. The legs are square-sectioned and tapering, the front legs with recessed panels on the visible faces, the feet carved with water leaf imitating gilt-brass mounts, the blocks at the top of the legs set on the visible faces with gilt-brass paterae (rosettes). The back frame is also carved with recessed panels, the splat carved naturalistically as a lyre. The arms curved down from the top of the back in a continuous curve, the space below them filled with brass rods. The upholstery is modern. Some of the brass rods are replacements. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Gallery label |
|
| Object history | 1869 was a very early date for the purchase of British furniture by the South Kensington Museum (the forerunner of the V&A). Until that time it had most concentrated on Italian or French pieces. This piece shows strong influence from France, in particular in the gilt-brass mounts at the top of the legs and edging the upholstery of the seat. Such fittings were almost unknown in Britain and were uncommon even in France. The present upholstery was re-done in the 1970s. Museum negative 74591 shows this on display in Gallery 40 in 1936 as part of a display of Georgian furniture. Also shown in neg. 74053, view no. 6 |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | France has been the source of designs for chairs in Britain since the development of the Rococo style in the 1740s but it became particularly strong in the 1790s. The Prince of Wales, whose decorating schemes at Carlton House, London, were particularly strongly copied, used French designers and makers as well as importing some pieces directly from France. This armchair, which must once have formed part of an impressive set, shows strong influences from France (for example, the channelled finish on the legs and back, the gilt-brass mounts) and may have been made by François Hervé, a chairmaker who fled from the revolution in Paris to set up in London and who made chairs with a similar design in the back for Lady Spencer at Althorp in 1791. The use of the lyre as a model for the splat of a chair was fairly widely used and both Robert Adam (1728-1792) and John Linnell (1729-1796) had already produced chair design incorporating this motif. |
| Bibliographic reference | Tomlin, Maurice, Catalogue of Adam Period Furniture (London: HMSO for the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1972), cat. no. Q/14, p. 142. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 45-1869 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | May 1, 2001 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
