{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O109850"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O109850/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2008BT6414/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2008BT6414/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2008BT6414","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2008BT6413","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O109850/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O109850","accessionNumber":"5690-1859","objectType":"Chair (sgabello)","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"Italian chairs made from vase-shaped boards of wood have long been known as <i>sgabelli</i>, a term ultimately derived from the word <i>scabellum</i> (Latin for 'stool'). They were often  carved with fantastic monsters and grotesques, like this example which forms part of a set that belonged to the Steno family of Venice, whose emblem, a star, is  emblazoned on the crest. According to John Hungerford Pollen, writing in 1874, the Steno \"house remained furnished in the old way down to modern times\",  but the chairs in this set are almost certainly copies of an untraced earlier example. They were later acquired by Jules Soulages (1803 - 1856), a lawyer from Toulouse, whose collection was bought piecemeal by this museum, after it had been exhibited at Marlborough House between December 1856 and January 1857.","physicalDescription":"Sgabello chair, carved and stained walnut, partly gilt  (see below). The back rest chair is urn-shaped,  emblazoned with the star of the Steno family of  Venice on the crest, and decorated with a bearded  satyr mask. The seat is shaped like an elongated  octagon with gadrooned edges at the front and  sides, and its surface is flat. The side aprons  immediately below the seat are trapezoidal, with  ogee-shaped bottom edges. The front board or legs  is vase-shaped, decorated  with a bearded satyr  mask, and terminating in foliate lions' feet.\r\n\r\nThe back rest is crowned with a crest formed by two  brackets converging above the Steno family star. In  the bottom corners of crest are two husks. The crest  rests on two tiers of friezes - the upper one  gadrooned and the lower one husk-and-pod. The  bearded mask is flanked by two strap-like borders  decorated with a vine-leaf scrolls and crowned by two  narrow converging scrolls that sprout from the main  straps. The space between these scrolls and the  bottom of the husk-and-pod frieze is filled with  imbricated disks, converging towards the centre. The  borders scroll like an 's' at the bottom and curl over at  the top revealing scales on the other side. These rest  on a gadrooned base, immediately above the seat.  The five edges, making up the front and sides of the  octagon are gadrooned, whereas the three at the  back are lobed in a fish tale pattern and left  ungadrooned. The front board or legs is surmounted  by a broad chain frieze, with a flower in each circle,  resting on a narrow ribbon frieze immediately below  the seat. The satyr mask and vine scroll borders are  similar to those on the back rest, but they terminate in lions' paws with foliate shins rather than 's' scrolls.  A husk stretches from between the paws to the chin  of the satyr.\r\n\r\nThe back and front boards, forming the legs, were  probably each made from one piece of wood. They  are fixed with two nails at each end to the side  aprons, which link them together. The seat is fixed  with two nails each to the tops of the front and back  boards. The backrest is also made of one piece of  wood and terminates in a wedge, which fits through a  slot at the back of the seat and is held in position by  three smaller wedges. The back rest and front board  are chamfered at the back, but the back board, a  later replacement, are not. The grain runs vertically  along the back rest and back and front boards,  horizontally along the aprons, and back to front (i.e.  vertically) along the seat.\r\n\r\nThe right foot of the front board is broken off and the  left one has been replaced. The back board is  replaced, as are the side paws and the seat. The  back rest and the front board probably date from  about 1570.\r\n\r\nThe gilding has acquired a dirty yellow surface over  the ages. Bole is visible on the star on the back and a  single husk between the paws. Otherwise, white  gesso rather than bole tends to show through  underneath. (Are there traces of early gilding on the  right lock of hair of the mask on the back rest?)\r\n\r\nGilding is applied to various highlights of the back  rest, seat and front board. On the crest, these include  the borders of scrolls, the star, husks in the corners,  the edges of the individual gadroons and the narrow  guilloche moulding. On the main part of the back rest,  these include highlights of the faces of the mask, such  as the hair, beard and stylized wiskers, as well as the  stems and leaves of the vine and the scales at the  reverses of the borders at the top. Traces of gilding,  mostly in the form of red bole, are detectable on the  individual ovolos of the gadrooning round the edge of  the seat. Gilded highlights on the front board are as  follows: the links in the chain frieze, the pommels of  the rosettes immediately below the seat. Likewise  the edges of the borders, and vine leaves framing the  satyr mask, as well as the converging scrolls above  his head; the satyr's hair and whiskers, and husk  immediately below his chin, and the foliate ornament above claws of lions' feet.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Unknown","id":"A1848"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"walnut","id":"AAT12476"},{"text":"gold leaf","id":"x33207"}],"techniques":[{"text":"oil gilding","id":"AAT230058"},{"text":"carving","id":"AAT53149"},{"text":"joinery","id":"x36614"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Walnut, carved and parcel-gilt","categories":[{"text":"Furniture","id":"THES48948"}],"styles":[{"text":"Renaissance","id":"AAT21140"}],"collectionCode":{"text":"FWK","id":"THES48597"},"images":["2008BT6414","2008BT6413"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"001","id":"THES342239"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Chair","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Italy","id":"x28927"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"about 1800-1830","earliest":"1800-01-01","latest":"1830-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[{"object":{"text":"5687-1859","id":"O131524"},"association":"Ensemble"},{"object":{"text":"5688-1859","id":"O79397"},"association":"Ensemble"},{"object":{"text":"5689-1859","id":"O131525"},"association":"Ensemble"},{"object":{"text":"5691-1859","id":"O131527"},"association":"Ensemble"},{"object":{"text":"5692-1859","id":"O131528"},"association":"Ensemble"},{"object":{"text":"5693-1859","id":"O131529"},"association":"Ensemble"},{"object":{"text":"5694-1859","id":"O131530"},"association":"Ensemble"},{"object":{"text":"5695-1859","id":"O131531"},"association":"Ensemble"}],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"104","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"maximum","note":""},{"dimension":"Depth","value":"47","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"maximum","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"34.6","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"Seat height 54.3cm","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"Lent to the Manchester Art Gallery, Art Treasures Exhibition (2007-8)","historicalContext":"See Clive Wainwight, 'Models of Inspiration' in Country Life, June 9, 1988 pp 266-267 which discusses the acquisition of Soulages' collection.","briefDescription":"Venetian, late 16th century","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"John Hungerford Pollen, Ancient & Modern Furniture & Woodwork (London: George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode, 1874), 105.\r\n“5690. ’59. CHAIR. Carved wood, partly gilt. The support in front and the back are heart-shaped, with strap work and running scrolls ; in the centre of each a foliated mask ; the upper part of the back has a composition of interlaced cartouche ornament enclosing a star. Italian (Venetian). About 1560. H. 3 ft. 4 in., W. 13½ in. Bought (Soulages Coll.), 15l.”"},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"J.C.Robinson, Catalogue of the Soulages Collection: being a descriptive inventory of a collection of works of decorative art, formerly in the possession of M. Jules Soulages of Toulouse; now, by permission of the Committee of Privy Council for Trade, exhibited to the public at the Museum of Ornamental Art, Marlborough House (London 1856), nos. 612-619, p. 168"}],"production":"Probably early 19th century based on a late 16th century chair","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"Label text c.1930 while displayed in Tapestry Court: South-West Block. East Side. [gallery 44 ‘East Central Court’ c.1909-1952]\r\n\r\nCHAIR (sgabello).\r\nCarved and gilt chestnut.\r\nVENETIAN; about 1560.\r\nFormerly in the Soulages Collection.\r\n5690-1859.\r\n","date":{"text":"1930","earliest":"1930-01-01","latest":"1930-12-31"}},{"text":"PAIR OF CHAIRS\r\nCarved walnut, partly gilt\r\nITALIAN (Venetian); second half of the 16th century\r\nOn the back, the arms of Steno of Venice.\r\n5690-1859\r\n5688-1859","date":{"text":"Pre-2006","earliest":"2006-01-01","latest":"2006-12-31"}},{"text":"CHAIR (Sgabello)\r\nCarved walnut, partly gilt\r\nITALIAN (Venice); about 1590\r\nFrom the Soulages Collection\r\n5690-1859\r\n\r\nThe uppermost section of the chair back is decorated with a Star, the device of the Steno family, and the chair is recorded as having been part of the original furnishings of the Palazzo Steni of Venice.","date":{"text":"Pre-2006","earliest":"2006-01-01","latest":"2006-12-31"}},{"text":"CHAIR\r\nCarved walnut, partly gilt\r\nOn the back, Cognizance of a star, for the arms of Steno of Venice\r\nITALIAN (VENETIAN);\r\nsecond half of the 16th century\r\nFrom the Soulages collection\r\n5690-1859","date":{"text":"pre-2006","earliest":"2006-01-01","latest":"2006-12-31"}}],"partNumbers":["5690-1859"],"accessionNumberNum":"5690","accessionNumberPrefix":"","accessionYear":1859,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":["2019LV0084"],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-16","recordCreationDate":"2005-03-02","availableToBook":true}}