Open armchair
Morris & Co.
Category
Furniture
Date
circa 1890
Materials
Mahogany, Utrecht velvet
Measurements
86.5 x 54.5 x 47 cm
Order this imageCollection
Standen House and Garden, West Sussex
NT 1213946.2
Summary
One of a pair of mahogany open armchairs, retailed by Morris & Co., circa 1890. Each rectangular back with canted upper corners and three vertical splats pierced at the centre, the arms raised on in-curved supports, the seat covered in embossed Utrecht velvet and standing on square tapering legs. A chair of this design appears in a Morris & Co. catalogue 'Decorated Interiors, Fitments, Panelling, Wall-paintings etc.' The illustration is captioned 'A small country drawing room with mantlepiece, furniture, carpet and wallpaper by Morris & Co.' A copy of this 1911 catalogue is at Standen.
Full description
Morris & Co. Founded in 1861 as Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co., the firm was soon referred to as Morris & Co., although the name was not officially adopted until 1875 when William Morris (1834-1896) became sole proprietor. Responsibility for the design of almost all commissioned furniture passed to Philip Webb, whose influence was enormous, and (from 1880) his assistant George Jack, while Morris produced designs for glass, tapestries and any painted furniture. From 1871 wallpapers, designed by Morris, became an important part of the business. Show rooms in Oxford Street were acquired in 1877. Greater commercial success in the 1880s led to the opening of a shop in Manchester in 1883. Some of the well-known interior schemes undertaken by Morris include Rounton Grange in Yorkshire, Old Swan House in Chelsea, Great Tangley Manor in Surrey, Wightwick Manor, Bullers Wood and Standen.
Makers and roles
Morris & Co., manufacturer