Untitled
Category
Furniture
Date
circa 1730
Materials
Embroidered linen, walnut, beech rails
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Seaton Delaval Hall, Northumberland
NT 1276604
Summary
An important set of upholstered seat furniture, English, circa 1730, comprising a pair of sofas and eight chairs, each with padded back and seat covered in contemporary petit and gros point needlework, depicting the 15th century combat of John Astley. "The combate in Paris Betwixt Sir John de Astley and Sir Peter de Masse, 29th August, 1431" and the "Combate in Smithfield Betwixt Sir John de Astley and Sir Philip Boyle, 30th January, 1441" each chair similarly worked with vignettes relating to these two combats, all on leaf carved cabriole legs with pad feet. A number of the chairs have a printed paper label 'SIR J. D. ASTLEY, BART' followed by a Room name. This would indicate that this suite was in the possession of Sir Jacob Astley(1797-1859), created Lord Hastings in 1841, at Melton Constable, Norfolk, to where the contents of Seaton Delaval were removed after a devastating fire in 1822. All the chairs have an old paper inventory label, the numbers of which are in sequence from X2096 - X2104.