Stool seat
Category
Furniture
Date
circa 1650
Materials
Carved beech, japanned decoration
Measurements
38 x 121 x 62.5 cm
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Ham House, Surrey
NT 1139570.2
Summary
A squab stool, one of a pair, part of a set of four with (NT 1139986), English, 17th century. The rectangular seat with webbing above four turned legs with two large bulbous sections, japanned in gold on black with tree and plant designs.
Provenance
In the inventory of Ham House in 1677, these stools are listed, in the Long Gallery : "four squabs with four quilts covered wt. tapestrie covers [wit crossed out] done with silver & gold". They were possibly already in the Gallery circa 1654 as " Ten long stooles with silk furniture" are recorded. As can be seen in a watercolour by H.W Brewer, the four squab stools were still in the Long Gallery in 1886 (private collection). Acquired in 1948 by HM Government when Sir Lyonel, 4th Bt (1854 – 1952) and Sir Cecil Tollemache, 5th Bt (1886 – 1969) presented Ham House to the National Trust, and entrusted to the care of the Victoria & Albert Museum, until 1990, when returned to the care of the National Trust, and to which ownership was transferred in 2002.