High-backed armchair
Category
Furniture
Date
circa 1720
Materials
Walnut, beech and textile
Measurements
127 x 53 x 54 cm
Place of origin
Netherlands
Order this imageCollection
Dyrham, Gloucestershire
NT 452933.1
Caption
Imitation is the highest form of flattery. One of a set of eighteen chairs in the style of Daniel Marot, who was the King’s favourite designer. Marot, a French protestant exiled to Holland, began working for William Orange, eventually following him to England.
Summary
One of a set of eighteen walnut and beech high back chairs, Northern Netherlands, circa 1710 The back profusely carved with floral scrolling carved decoration incorporating scale and trellis work, bell flowers and husks, centred by a cartouche with pierced and carved decoration centred by a basket of flowers. The scroll carved moulded shaped back stiles supporting a conforming carved crest. The overstuffed seat upholstered with a later crimson velvet and with a shell carved shaped apron. Raised on scroll and acanthus carved cabriole legs and hoof feet, tied by shaped moulded stretchers.
Full description
The style and form of this set of chairs is often described as being by Daniel Marot (French 1661–1752). Born in Paris, Marot was a pupil of Jean Le Pautre and the son of Jean Marot, who was also an architect and engraver. Marot was working independently as an engraver from an early age, making engravings of designs by Jean Bérain, one of Louis XIV's official designers at the Manufacture des Gobelins. The Marot family were Huguenots and were part of the wave of émigrés who left France in the year of the Edict of Fontainebleau and Revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685) to settle in Holland. Daniel Marot brought the fully developed court style of Louis XIV to Holland, and later to London. In the end, the English style which is loosely called "William and Mary" owed much to his manner.In the Netherlands Marot was employed by the Stadthouder, who later became William III of England; in particular, he is associated with designing interiors in the palace of Het Loo, from 1684. Although no chairs of this exact design appear in his published designs, the scrolling shapes of stretchers and back outlines are very similar to Marot's work and incorporate various features. The shaped front rail or apron and the cabriole legs with hoof feet are found in French designs of the 1720's and also appear in English furniture of the same period. A chair in The Royal Collection at Hampton Court by Richard Roberts (fl.1714-29) has a very similar cabriole leg, hoof foot and shaped stretcher. Each chair is numbered from 1-18 making this an exceptionally rare complete set. The chairs came to the house in 1971 as a bequest from Sir James Horlick. By repute the chairs were sold to Sir James Horlick by Frank Partridge, Bond Street, London. Partridge purchased them from Bunny Hall, Nottinghamshire. For a similar example of a chair from the Northern Netherlands with a highly carved back see Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam: museum no. BK-159 James Weedon (November 2017)
Provenance
By repute Bunny Hall, Nottinghamshire, bought from Frank Partridge by Sir James Horlick Transferred to NT by Treasury from bequest by Sir James Horlick in 1971
Marks and inscriptions
Seat rail: Chairs marked 1-18