A set of six ebony chairs
Category
Furniture
Date
1660 - 1680
Materials
Ebony, textile
Place of origin
India
Order this imageCollection
Treasurer's House, North Yorkshire
NT 592861
Summary
A set of six ebony chairs, Indian, circa 1660-1680. Each with a carved pierced crest above a spindle turned back and square section stiles surmounted by carved birds, the later upholstered drop in seat within a carved frame and raised on twist turned baluster legs tied by stretchers.
Full description
Amin Jaffer's study 'Furniture from British India and Ceylon' notes that this form of chair originally came from the Coromandel Coast, a textile producing region of India settled with European trading factories. There are many ebony chairs in British collections, comparable examples can be seen in the National Trust collections including Penrhyn Castle, Kingston Lacy, Cotehele & Powis Castle. Examples in the V&A collection also have a similar provenance, notably a cane seat example (museum no.IS.6-2000) with very similar turnings and carved detail. (James Weedon, November 2019)
Provenance
Given by Frank Green (1861-1954) along with house, garden and contents to the National Trust in 1930.
References
Jaffer 2001 : Amin Jaffer, Furniture from British India and Ceylon, a catalogue of the collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Peabody Essex Museum, London, V&A publications, 2001.