Bergère chair
possibly Thomas Chippendale II (1749 - 1822)
Category
Furniture
Date
circa 1804
Materials
Mahogany, beech frame, leather, brass, hessian, webbing, upholstery, iron
Measurements
115.3 x 68.4 x 97.0 cm
Place of origin
London
Order this imageCollection
Stourhead, Wiltshire
NT 731706.1
Summary
One of a pair of mahogany and leather upholstered bergère armchairs, probably by Thomas Chippendale the Younger (1749-1822) London, circa 1804. The scrolled back and high arms, with solid upholstered seat, originally with a loose cushion. Raised on moulded sabre legs and brass socket castors.
Full description
Possibly removed from Hoare's bank and transferred to Stourhead. According to Judith Goodison in 'The life and works of Thomas Chippendale Junior' 2017 this pair of armchairs were probably supplied for the small dining room. They are not recorded in any of the accounts but their original black leather covers with red leather welting match the covering of the footstools which were supplied to this room and appear in the Chippendale accounts for 1804 see NT731611. The chairs are both shown either side of the fire place in a coloured drawing by J. C. Buckler dated 24th May 1824 (the British Library Board, Add.MSS 36392 f.155). Thomas Chippendale the Younger at Stourhead Sir Richard Colt Hoare employed Thomas Chippendale the Younger (1749-1822) from 1795 to 1820 to supply furniture and furnishings for Stourhead in Wiltshire. The accounts submitted for his work are the largest known archive relating to Chippendale’s work. Out of the 163 pieces of furniture described in the accounts, 103 are still in the house, mostly in the rooms for which they were made. There was a fire in 1902 which destroyed the central part of Stourhead but fortunately most of the pictures and furniture from the ground floor were saved, the majority of the contents of the upper floors were destroyed. Chippendale the Younger worked with his father Thomas Chippendale (1718-1779) for many years before the latter died. Much of the work he produced in the 1780s and 1790s continued the styles and techniques associated with the Chippendale firm. During these years he was completing or continuing commissions that the firm had been involved with including Harewood house, Nostell Priory, and Burton Constable amongst others. The furniture supplied for Stourhead shows the continued high quality and attention to detail that was expected from the Chippendale workshops, linked with simplicity of decoration and clarity of line. For further discussion and extensive published research see: Goodison, Judith ‘The life and work of Thomas Chippendale Junior’ PWP 2017 Goodison, Judith ‘Thomas Chippendale the Younger at Stourhead’ Furniture History Society 2005 (Vol. 41) pp. 57-116 Gilbert, Christopher ‘The life and work of Thomas Chippendale’ London 1978 Vol.1 pp.235, 267 Beard, Geoffrey & Gilbert, Christopher ‘The Dictionary of English Furniture Makers, 1660-1840’ Furniture History Society 1986 pg.169 James Weedon (March 2018)
Provenance
Probably made in the Chippendale workshops. Possibly supplied by Chippendale and then removed from Hoare's Bank. Possibly supplied by Chippendale for the Small Dining Room at Stourhead in c. 1804. Given to the National Trust along with Stourhead House, its grounds, and the rest of the contents by Sir Henry Hugh Arthur Hoare, 6th Bt (1865 – 1947) in 1946.
Makers and roles
possibly Thomas Chippendale II (1749 - 1822), cabinetmaker
References
Goodison, 2005: Judith Goodison. “Thomas Chippendale the younger at Stourhead.” Furniture History 31 (2005): pp.57-116, pp. 57-116 Gilbert, 1978: Christopher Gilbert. The life and work of Thomas Chippendale. London: Studio Vista: Christie’s, 1978., pp. 235, 267 Beard and Gilbert, 1986: Geoffrey Beard and Christopher Gilbert (ed), Dictionary of English Furniture Makers 1660-1840, 1986, pg.169 Goodison, 2017: Judith Goodison, The Life and Work of Thomas Chippendale Junior, PWP London & New York 2017