{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O8469"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O8469/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006BF2543/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006BF2543/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2006BF2543","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2018KU5829","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O8469/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O8469","accessionNumber":"W.40:1-1953","objectType":"Chair","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"","physicalDescription":"Walnut chair with marquetry decoration and an upholstered drop-in seat. The top rail has foliated scrolls and a central pendant leaf. There are turned uprights and a concave vase-shaped splat, pierced at the top with a trefoil shaped opening and inlaid with an urn device flanked by scrolls. There is similar marquetry decoration on either end of the front seat rail and on the outer sides of the cabriole legs, which are of rectangular plan below the knees and terminate in hoof feet. The raking rear legs and serpentine side stetchers are connected by a scrolled and moulded cross stretcher. The tops of the stretchers are decorated with band of herring-bone marquetry. The drop in seat is upholstered in blue brocade.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Unknown","id":"A1848"},"association":{"text":"maker","id":"x40240"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[],"techniques":[{"text":"carving","id":"AAT53149"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Walnut chair with marquetry decoration and an upholstered drop-in seat.","categories":[{"text":"Furniture","id":"THES48948"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"FWK","id":"THES48597"},"images":["2006BF2543","2018KU5829"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"002","id":"THES342337"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"002","id":"THES342337"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Chair","id":""}],[{"text":"drop-in seat","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"England","id":"x28826"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"ca. 1720","earliest":"1715-01-01","latest":"1724-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Gift of Mr Ronald A. Lee through The Art Fund","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"111","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"54.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Depth","value":"60","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"42.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"taken from object","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"Early 18th Century spoon back chair, gift of Ronald A Lee (dealer) through the NACF\r\n\r\n22/8/53 Gift form\r\nlists as \"1 walnut and marquetry spoon back single chair…. Anglo Dutch early 18th Century\".\r\n\r\n22/8/53 letter Lee to Edwards\r\nstates he has \"no doubt…. that this chair is English\".  He recalls purchasing a similar set in the past which had an English coat of arms inlaid in the splat; he thinks that workmanship was similar and they could easily have come from the same workshop as this chair\".\r\n\r\n25/8/53 memo Thorpe to Ashton\r\nrecommends accepting this \"interesting Anglo Dutch chair of early 18th Century date, with inlay similar to that of a Dictionary chair, and probably by a Dutch craftsman in England\".\r\n\r\n26/8/53 letter Edwards to Lee\r\ndiscusses the chair's provenance.  Chairs similar in type were made in England by Dutch immigrant craftsman.  He points out that the marquetry device on the splat exactly corresponds with a chair formerly in the Donaldson Colleciton (Dict. Of English Furniture Vol. 1, p.224).  He notes that Vol. 1 includes several contemporary chairs that are not English and have been eliminated in the 2nd edition.  The English origin of the Donaldson chair has never been challenged and the use of the same motive supports this chair being English.  He notes, however, that parallels can also be found at the Rijks and in other Dutch collections (he notes the character of the carving on the cresting, the scrolls of the stretcher and the shape of the back legs).  He will label it \"Anglo-Dutch\"; about 1700, possibly by a Dutch immigrant\".\r\n\r\n27/8/53 letter Lee to Edwards\r\nagrees with his views on provenance but re-states his position that it is of English origin.\n\nA set of seven chairs, with similarly pierced splats and inlay of similar nature, but not identical, was sold from the collection of Sir John Ramsden Bt, Christie's 23 May 1932, lot 69. Illustration in departmental files. ","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Walnut chair with marquetry decoration and drop-in seat. English, ca. 1720.","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"CHAIR, ENGLISH:about 1720, Walnut with marquetry decoration.  Given by Mr Ronald Lee, Museum No. W.40-1953.(John Hardy)","date":{"text":"1976","earliest":"1976-01-01","latest":"1976-12-31"}},{"text":"SIDE CHAIR, Anglo-Dutch: about 1720, Walnut inlaid with marquetry decoration, W.40-1953, The marquetry inlay decorates the splat, the ends of the front rails, the tops of the stretchers and the outer sides of the cabriole front legs.  Given by Mr Ronald Lee (Tessa Murdoch)","date":{"text":"1996","earliest":"1996-01-01","latest":"1996-12-31"}}],"partNumbers":["W.40:1-1953","W.40:2-1953"],"accessionNumberNum":"40","accessionNumberPrefix":"W","accessionYear":1953,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE","Chair","drop-in seat"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-03-26","recordCreationDate":"1998-07-22","availableToBook":true}}