Armchair
1550-1600 (made), 19th century (altered)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This distinctive form of armchair is based on a French 16th century model. The form was used particularly in Eastern Scotland and also in Salisbury, where a group of chairs has been identified, which may come from the same workshop. The French origin of the design may have suggested the name caqueteuse (a chattering woman or a gossip) which was used for such chairs in the early 20th century by British collectors. Some French chairs of the period were known as caquetoires, but these were usually upholstered.
This famous chair was formerly in the collection of Percy Macquoid, who illustrated it in his influential book The History of English Furniture, published in 1904. He described who it was found covered in layers of black paint in the village of Colyton, Devon in about 1860. Some obvious repairs indicate that the chair was restored in the 19th century, and probably taken apart completely at this time. The chair was dated by its carved back panel but some experts have questioned whether this dates from the 16th century. They have argued that the hairstyle, the low-cut bodice and puffed, slashed sleeves suggest a 19th-century version of 16th-century costume, possibly intended to represent Mary, Queen of Scots. It is possible that a 19th-century panel was inserted into an earlier chair frame, or that the chair was actually created as a fake in the 19th century.
This famous chair was formerly in the collection of Percy Macquoid, who illustrated it in his influential book The History of English Furniture, published in 1904. He described who it was found covered in layers of black paint in the village of Colyton, Devon in about 1860. Some obvious repairs indicate that the chair was restored in the 19th century, and probably taken apart completely at this time. The chair was dated by its carved back panel but some experts have questioned whether this dates from the 16th century. They have argued that the hairstyle, the low-cut bodice and puffed, slashed sleeves suggest a 19th-century version of 16th-century costume, possibly intended to represent Mary, Queen of Scots. It is possible that a 19th-century panel was inserted into an earlier chair frame, or that the chair was actually created as a fake in the 19th century.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Oak, with carved decoration |
| Brief description | Armchair of caqueteuse form, the back panel carved with the bust of a woman in profile |
| Physical description | Oak, tall, oblong back carved with a female bust in a lozenge panel reserved on a ground of symmetrical scrollwork, terminating in flowers and cherubs heads. Hexagonal seat with rail cusped in front. The arms, which are supported by four uprights, follow the outline of the seat; rectangular legs with broad front rail and short back rail connected by stretcher. Back is carved with Renaissance ornament, the famale bust is dressed in costume of about 1535. The blunt and summary style of the carving points to West Country origins. |
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| Gallery label |
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| Object history | Bought for £231 from Mssrs Mallet & Sons, 40 New Bond Street, London W1 See RP 25/4864 |
| Historical context | Comparable chairs Oak, (3 ft. 6 in. x 1 ft. 10 in. x 1 ft. 5 in.) Burrell Collection, Glasgow (14/182) formerly Edgworth Manor, Cirencester; illustrated in Victor Chinnery, Oak Furniture: The British Tradition. A History of Early Furniture in the British Isles and New England, rev. ed. (Woodbridge: ACC Art Books, 2016), fig. 3:32 Probably English. Oak, 1525-30 "Though of coarser execution and finish, there are evident similarities between this chair and figure 3:29 [W.45-1925] |
| Summary | This distinctive form of armchair is based on a French 16th century model. The form was used particularly in Eastern Scotland and also in Salisbury, where a group of chairs has been identified, which may come from the same workshop. The French origin of the design may have suggested the name caqueteuse (a chattering woman or a gossip) which was used for such chairs in the early 20th century by British collectors. Some French chairs of the period were known as caquetoires, but these were usually upholstered. This famous chair was formerly in the collection of Percy Macquoid, who illustrated it in his influential book The History of English Furniture, published in 1904. He described who it was found covered in layers of black paint in the village of Colyton, Devon in about 1860. Some obvious repairs indicate that the chair was restored in the 19th century, and probably taken apart completely at this time. The chair was dated by its carved back panel but some experts have questioned whether this dates from the 16th century. They have argued that the hairstyle, the low-cut bodice and puffed, slashed sleeves suggest a 19th-century version of 16th-century costume, possibly intended to represent Mary, Queen of Scots. It is possible that a 19th-century panel was inserted into an earlier chair frame, or that the chair was actually created as a fake in the 19th century. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.45-1925 |
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| Record created | July 5, 2001 |
| Record URL |
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