Open armchair
manner of Benjamin Goodison (c.1700 - 1767)
Category
Furniture
Date
circa 1740
Materials
Mahogany, parcel gilt, textile, beech frame, hessian, webbing, velvet, brass, leather, gold leaf
Measurements
96.5 x 78.0 x 79.0 cm
Place of origin
London
Order this imageCollection
Stourhead, Wiltshire
NT 731651.2.2
Summary
An open armchair, one of a pair from a suite of mahogany and parcel gilt seat furniture, in the manner of Benjamin Goodison (c.1700-1767) London, circa 1740.Comprising of four side chairs, two open armchairs, two foot stools and a sofa. The side chairs with later upholstered padded backs and seats, on scrolled square section cabriole legs, carved at the front with acanthus and overlapping roundels, the sides carved with fish scales and raised on block feet.The armchairs the same but with padded elbow rests and flower head carved terminals and with acanthus carved down swept supports.The stools the same.The sofa with a carved top rail, centred by a scallop shell and carved with oak leaf garlands and scrolls, continuing to shaped moulded arms with carved mythical animal heads. the apron with a further scallop shell and conforming leaf and scroll detail.
Full description
Adam Bowett discusses a chair from a set of ten made for Francis North, 1st Earl of Guilford, probably for his country house at Wroxton Abbey, Oxfordshire. See plate 4:102 'Early Georgian Furniture 1714-1740' The maker is unknown, but payments to both John Boson (1740) and Benjamin Goodison (1756) are recorded in the North papers. Similar legs appear on tables supplied by Goodison to Hampton Court Palace in the 1730s and 40s notably a side table (RCIN 1195) and a pier table (RCIN 251) both with the carved roundels and acanthus on the front of the legs. This 'Kentian' style was popular in the middle years of the 18th century and adopted by several furniture makers, with no specific paper trail linking the suite to Stourhead or the Hoare family it is difficult to attribute an individual maker but Goodison would seem to be the forerunner. James Weedon (March 2018)
Provenance
Given to the National Trust along with Stourhead House, its grounds, and the rest of the contents by Sir Henry Hugh Arthur Hoare, 6th Bt (1865 – 1947) in 1946.
Makers and roles
manner of Benjamin Goodison (c.1700 - 1767) , furniture designer and maker
References
Bowett 2009, Early Georgian Furniture 1715 - 1740 (2009)