Armchair thumbnail 1
Armchair thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
British Galleries, Room 125, Edwin and Susan Davies Gallery

This object consists of 2 parts, some of which may be located elsewhere.

Armchair

1886-1887 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Object Type
Armchairs with painted decoration and cane seats, like this example, were very fashionable in the 1790s and again in the 1880s. The light construction and floral decoration suggest that this type of chair was designed for a more feminine setting, such as a drawing room or boudoir.

People
Wright and Mansfield were famous for their furniture in 18th century styles. A satinwood cabinet with Wedgwood plaques made by the firm caused a sensation at the International Exhibition in London in 1862. They specialised in furniture based on the designs of Robert Adam, Thomas Chippendale, George Hepplewhite and Thomas Sheraton, whose designs inspired this chair. Their clients included Lord Tweedmouth and the Earl and Countess of Aberdeen. The firm flourished from 1860, firstly at 3 Great Portland Street, and subsequently at 104 New Bond Street, London, where it finally closed in 1886.

Time
In 1886 the South Kensington Museum bought a collection of marquetry panels for interior decoration, two small tables and a pair of these chairs from the sale of the stock of Wright and Mansfield. The Museum wanted to show visitors the difference between these examples of good-quality reproduction furniture made in the 1880s and original furniture of the 1780s.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Armchair
  • Cane Seat
Materials and techniques
Painted wood, with replacement cane seat
Brief description
An armchair of painted satinwood, the back of shield shape, the seat caned, the front surfaces of back, seat, arms and legs painted with polychrome flowers, in the style of the late 18th century.
Physical description
An armchair of painted satinwood on a carcase of beech, the back of shield shape, the seat caned, the front surfaces of back, seat, arms and legs painted with polychrome flowers, in the style of the late 18th century,
Dimensions
  • Height: 97.3cm
  • Width: 52.1cm
  • Depth: 54cm
Dimensions checked: Measured; 22/02/2000 by NC
Style
Marks and inscriptions
Stamped '4736' under seat rail
Gallery label
  • ARMCHAIR ENGLISH: 1880-1885 Designer unknown Made by Wright & Mansfield, London Painted wood with replacement cane seat This is an exact reproduction of a chair of the 1790s and may be compared with examples of that date by Seddon & Co., on display in the Adelphi Room (Gallery 122). It was purchased by the Museum when Wright & Mansfield went out of business in 1887 because it was considered important to have a genuine 1880s reproduction of a Gerogian chair in the collection, in case they were mistaken for the originals in the future.
  • This chair was made in about 1887 by Messr Wright and Mansfield of New Bond Street, London, probably having been purchased directly from them as an example of contemporary design. The firm played a considerable part in bringing about a revival of interest in late eighteenth-century English furniture, not least by exhibiting a high quality satinwood cabinet in the Adam style at the Paris Exhibition of 1867. This chair closely resembles the previous example, differing only slightly in the form and the painted details.
  • British Galleries: The London firm of Wright & Mansfield was famous for its high quality furniture in 18th-century styles. This type of furniture was popular from about 1870, in part because it evoked a background of established wealth and inherited furnishings.(27/03/2003)
Object history
This armchair and its pair (239-1887) were purchased by the Museum as examples of contemporary English furniture in the style of the late 18th century, to provide a comparison with original 18th-century pieces. The collecting of English 18th century furniture was a developing interest for collectors, who had, until then, largely concentrated on antique furniture from France or Italy. Wright & Mansfield had first shown pieces made in reproduction of 18th-century styles in the Paris International Exhibition of 1867 (the Museum acquired a cabinet, Museum no. 548-1868).

The design is closely related to a set of satinwood drawing-room furniture (including 18 armchairs) made by the London firm of Seddon, Sons & Shackleton in 1790, of which the Museum was to go on to acquire three examples (W.1-1968 to W.3-1968), although the dimensions differ and the 1887 chairs have narrower backs. Another armchair, of the same model, and also by Seddon, Sons & Shackleton, but probably not from the same set, was acquired by the Museum in 1936 (W.59-1936).

A closely related suite made by Wright & Mansfield, consisting of a settee, armchair and three chairs, was offered for sale by Cheffins, Cambridge, 13 September 2018, lot 414.

Summary
Object Type
Armchairs with painted decoration and cane seats, like this example, were very fashionable in the 1790s and again in the 1880s. The light construction and floral decoration suggest that this type of chair was designed for a more feminine setting, such as a drawing room or boudoir.

People
Wright and Mansfield were famous for their furniture in 18th century styles. A satinwood cabinet with Wedgwood plaques made by the firm caused a sensation at the International Exhibition in London in 1862. They specialised in furniture based on the designs of Robert Adam, Thomas Chippendale, George Hepplewhite and Thomas Sheraton, whose designs inspired this chair. Their clients included Lord Tweedmouth and the Earl and Countess of Aberdeen. The firm flourished from 1860, firstly at 3 Great Portland Street, and subsequently at 104 New Bond Street, London, where it finally closed in 1886.

Time
In 1886 the South Kensington Museum bought a collection of marquetry panels for interior decoration, two small tables and a pair of these chairs from the sale of the stock of Wright and Mansfield. The Museum wanted to show visitors the difference between these examples of good-quality reproduction furniture made in the 1880s and original furniture of the 1780s.
Associated objects
Bibliographic references
  • Tomlin, Maurice, Catalogue of Adam Period Furniture (HMSO for the Victoria & Albert Museum, 1972), cat. no. P/8, p. 129.
  • Elizabeth Aslin, Nineteenth Century English Furniture (London, Faber, 1962), plate 102.
Collection
Accession number
240:1, 2-1887

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Record createdJuly 19, 2001
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