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| Lucknow Throne 1820 Robert Home The Victoria & Albert Museum |
Known as the “Lucknow Throne Chair,” this chair is a rare surviving example of palace furniture from Lucknow in northern India. This opulent piece of furniture was a gift from Ghazi-ud-din Haidar, Nawab and King of Oudh (ruled 1814 to 1827), to Lord Amherst, the Governor-General of India which was given during Amherst's visit to Lucknow in 1827.
Though it was built to be used by an Indian ruler, the chair was actually designed by the celebrated Scottish artist Robert Home who was court painter at Lucknow. There, Home designed regalia, royal carriages, howdahs, barges and palace furnishings in the popular European fashions of the day. The typical British design of this piece is further adorned with the twin-fish badge of the rulers of Lucknow.
4 comments:
I've added this to my list of "wants" should the V&A ever have a yard sale! :)
That list keeps getting longer.
It's ironic they say an artist is most challenged by rendering hands and feet, and yet one of the marks of *fine* furniture is often 'claw' feet...
I also wonder why it's creepy to think of 'hands' for arm chairs like claw feet, but would it be creepy to me if furniture makers had always made arms with 'hands'? Just things that make me go "hmmm". lol
Hmmm, indeed, Doni. Hmmm, indeed. I can honestly say I never gave that any thought. : )
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