Oak backstool, or side chair, with original upholstery to seat and back.
Identifier
FPF413
Title
Oak backstool, or side chair, with original upholstery to seat and back.
Date
1670-1690
Description
A joined oak backstool with turned front legs and original leather covered upholstery on the seat and back.
Full Description
A rare survival, this joined oak backstool has had no major repairs and retains the original upholstery and leather covers. It is typical of the joined furniture made in England in the second half of the 17th century, with an oak frame, constructed with mortice and tenon joints secured with oak pegs. The front legs are turned while the rest of the frame is squared. The back posts are slightly raked above the seat, and the back itself is rectangular, indicating a date of around 1680; on later chairs the backs were more often square and then became taller, resulting in the high-back chairs of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. On this chair the feet have been cut off, probably because they were worn and damaged. The torn leather cover reveals the straw used as stuffing material. The leather is nailed to the frame with large dome-headed tacks and covers not just the seat and back but also the front faces of the back posts where they are seen above the seat, which was the normal practice with leather covers.
Chairs such as this were quite common in the homes of tradesmen, merchants and professionals in the late 17th century, as recorded in inventories. They were called backstools because they had developed from stools, which until then were the most common form of seating. As homes became more comfortably furnished, and were increasingly used for receiving guests, chairs were more widely purchased, either with plain wooden seats, or with matted, i.e. rush seats. More expensive chairs were upholstered with either leather or cloth. Chairs with caned seats and backs were introduced from the mid-1660s and had become a popular and fashionable alternative to oak backstools by the end of the century (Bowett, 2002).
Chairs such as this were quite common in the homes of tradesmen, merchants and professionals in the late 17th century, as recorded in inventories. They were called backstools because they had developed from stools, which until then were the most common form of seating. As homes became more comfortably furnished, and were increasingly used for receiving guests, chairs were more widely purchased, either with plain wooden seats, or with matted, i.e. rush seats. More expensive chairs were upholstered with either leather or cloth. Chairs with caned seats and backs were introduced from the mid-1660s and had become a popular and fashionable alternative to oak backstools by the end of the century (Bowett, 2002).
Condition
In good original condition.
Feet missing.
Original upholstery and leather covers, now torn and damaged.
Feet missing.
Original upholstery and leather covers, now torn and damaged.
Materials
Oak.
Upholstery.
Upholstery.
Physical Dimensions
H. 94
W. 56
D. 54
W. 56
D. 54
Provenance
Purchased by the Frederick Parker Foundation, 2nd July 2003, from Christie’s, South Kensington, lot 15, the property of the late James Frederick Ridge, Lancashire.
Notes
See Adam Bowett, English Furniture, 1660-1714, Antique Collectors’ Club, 2002, pp. 80-83.
For a similar chair in the Collection, see FPF414.
For a similar chair in the Collection, see FPF414.
