28/2006-2

Furniture

One of a pair of beech chairs with spiral turned legs and front stretchers, with original Turkey work upholstery depicting stylised flowers, and modern fringing, made in England c.1685.

chair
side chair

28/2006-2

c.1685 (manufactured)

England (manufactured)

Stuart (1603-1714)

beech
textile
tapestry
wool
varnish

turkey worked
turned
joined
embroidered
tenoned
varnished
screwed

One of a pair of beech chairs with spiral turned legs and uprights and a spiral stretcher, with a rectangular back, a double side stretcher and turned forefeet. The chair has original Turkeywork upholstery depicting stylised flowers in blue, green, red, pink and cream. The tapestry decoration was originally on a black background which is now lost. The upholstery has been mounted on a conservation foundation. The edge of the seat and the bottom of the chairback have modern fringing in blue, green, pink, red and cream.

The top rail of the back is morticed onto the rear posts. The lower rail is tenoned into the posts. There are no pegs on the seat rails, which are tenoned all round. The fore rail is tenoned into the forelegs with a single peg. The back stretcher is tenoned into the back legs with a single peg. The upper side stretcher is tenoned but not pegged. The lower side stretcher is tenoned and single pegged.

The frame is covered all over with an opaque brown varnish, heavily patinated throughout, but worn through in places. There are many layers of varnish. The wood has moderate worm damage throughout. The top rail has worm damage to the right end, and a series of nail holes with shanks in situ, spaced about 2 inches apart along the back of the rail, for either an original or a replacement cover. There are no nail holes visible on any other part of the back. The lower back rail has a waney edge and pieces of the inner back to the inner corner. Both rear posts have been broken above the seat, repaired and reinforced with metal strips secured with screws. The seat rails are probably original but have been reinforced with large oak corner blocks, each fixed with two screws. There is a repair to the lower section of the left front leg; the stretchers are probably original; the left lower stretcher has been repaired at the joint with the left back leg. The turned feet have reduced, and are almost non-existant. All the feet have circular metal studs inserted into them.

Height: 103.5cm
Width: 52cm
Depth: 44cm

seating
textiles

Label text for ‘New ways of living’ case, Information Bay 2, Geffrye Museum, 2010:
Turkey-work chair, about 1685
Beech frame, original turkey-work upholstery
This chair has its original turkey-work covers, showing us a very rare survival of a once-common form of upholstery. Turkey-work is so-called because the pattern and woollen knotted pile resemble carpets from Turkey and other countries in the Middle East and Asia. Such chairs were the commonest form of seating in middling parlours from the 1660s to the 1680s. They were relatively inexpensive, hardwearing and colourful.
Purchased with the support of The Art Fund and the MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund