The Home Beautiful: The James Wyatt Armchair, 1805

Oak Armchair
C. 1805
The Victoria & Albert Museum

There’s something wholly English about this open armchair of oak, with cluster-column legs. Crafted in the Gothic Revival style, it is decorated with a turned ring at half height, and square armrests which enclose gothic tracery carving . The back is pierced and divided by cluster-columns into three arcades with tracery carving, The top rail forms a pediment which surrounds further tracery motifs.

The chair is said to be the work of the architect James Wyatt (1746-1813) who may have made it for one of the interiors that the Prince Regent, later George IV, commissioned for Carlton House in London. Records show that the Gothic Library at Carlton House, was supplied with a set of oak seat furniture in 1808. This chair may belong to that set.

Curiously, the chair bears the inventory mark of Windsor Castle. The mark was added about 1835, indicating that this chair eventually ended up at Windsor around the time of William IV. Eight matching side chairs are still in the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle. Why or how this one escaped is something of a mystery.

Her Majesty’s Furniture: A Turkey Work Chair, 1605

The Victoria & Albert Museum

We have looked at “turkey work” before. “Turkey work” is a technique of hand-knotting wool pike in an imitation of Eastern carpets. The “turkey” in question is the country, not the bird.

Chairs of this type were quite fashionable in the Seventeenth Century. In this particular example, the turkey-work cover wasn’t created for the chair, but was, rather, cut down from a carpet of earlier date than the chair.

The curators at the V&A contend that the application of the carpet to the chair doesn’t date to the chair’s 1605 creation. In fact, though the carpet is older than the chair, it appears to have been used as upholstery on the chair in the Nineteenth or early Twentieth Century as a replacement for the original turkey work, which was probably ruined. Doing so would have ensured that the chair maintained a “suitably antique appearance.”

This fine chair comes from Beaudesert, Staffordshire, from a house of Sixteenth-century origins. The house had to be substantially rebuilt in the Nineteenth century. A fire in 1909 destroyed much of the property and its contents. This chair is probably part of those furnishings that were damaged in the fire—explaining the replacement of the turkey work. The house was demolished in 1935 and the historical contents were acquired by the V&A. 

Her Majesty's Furniture: The Birley-Randell Marble Table, 1862

The Victoria & Albert Museum

The International Exhibition of 1862 in London revisited some of the artistic triumphs of the Great Exhibition of 1851. Manufacturers and artists from across the world sought to show their skills. S. Birley of Derbyshire made this table for the Exhibition. The magnificent work of pietra dura won prizes in the furniture and the mining classes.

Samuel Birley was known for gorgeous inlaid marble objects which imitated the Italian mosaic inlaying technique that had been prized for centuries since being developed for Italy’s powerful Medici family. This is one of Birley’s most exceptional pieces--thin polished slices of hardstone and semi-precious stone have been used to create a brilliantly colored, naturalistic pattern of flowers and foliage. The design, much admired by Queen Victoria, was created by Birley’s associate, J. Randell.

Matthew Digby Wyatt, in judging the group, compared Birley's table with the pietra dura exhibited by the Italian firms in attendance. He said, “Many very good samples of the usual imitations of flowers, &c., inlaid in black marble for table tops and cabinets, are contributed by various Florentine manufacturers, amongst whom the jury specially noted the houses of Barzanti, Betti, and Rinaldini. In the same class of goods the table top exhibited by our solitary producer in the same line, Mr. Samuel Birley, of Ashford, Derbyshire, was much admired. Observations were, however, made upon the inequality of scale in which the centre group of flowers and the surrounding wreath had been worked out.”

Her Majesty’s Furniture: Prince Albert’s Casket, 1871

Casket
Glass, Ebony, Silver Gilt
1871
The Victoria & Albert Museum

No, this isn’t the casket in which dear old Albert was buried. He’s got that with him in the Royal Mausoleum at Frogmore—right next to Victoria. This is something much different. It’s essentially a display case of glass, ebony and silver gilt.


This little beauty was created in 1871 to display Prince Albert’s season ticket for the Great Exhibition of 1851. Albert and his wife, the Queen, were much excited about the Great Exhibition and enjoyed it immensely, thrilled with the works of the British people and, also, using it as an opportunity to shop—an activity that they both fancied. The casket was also meant to house two volumes about the life of the Prince Consort as well as the records of his public addresses.

It’s especially important since Prince Albert was vital in starting the project for the exhibition and the Queen was adamant that her dearly departed husband’s contributions should be forever remembered. Per the Queen’s instructions, the casket is surmounted by figures representing Learning, Science and Philosophy. F. W. Moody (1824–86) designed the casket, O. Gibbons modeled it, and G. Franchi cast and chased the figures and silver gilding.

All that said, I can’t quite figure out what happened to the important contents it was designed to hold, but they don’t appear to be anywhere near it if they ever made it in there in the first place. Nevertheless, the casket, empty though it is, is rightfully in the V&A, looking very pretty and mildly creepy—just as the best things do.

Her Majesty's Furniture: The Putti Cabinet, 1855

Cabinet
Jackson and Graham, 1855
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This handsome cabinet was not made for domestic use, but rather as a sample of the ingenuity and talents of the craftsmen and designers of the London furnishing firm of Jackson and Graham. Made in the Eighteenth Century style, the cabinet was presented at the Paris International Exhibition of 1855 where it was heralded for its fineness.

The 1855 catalog notes of the cabinet that “the interior is finished with as much care as the exterior, being of satin-wood inlaid with tulip-wood and the fronts of the drawers inlaid with ivory and panelled, the panels being fitted with finely-chased and gilded metal-work.”  

The stars of the show are the three porcelain mounts depicting putti representing the arts.  These panels are mounted in gilt moldings which echo the shape of the central mirror.

The piece was designed by Alexandre Prignot (born 1822) who had been the chief designer for Jackson and Graham from 1849 to 1855. This piece was one of his final triumphs. The ceramics were supplied by Minton & Co. while Elkington & Co, offered the electroplated mounts. Cope and Collinson provided the casters.

The marquetry, giltwood, and inlays of marble and porcelain drew much positive attention and praise at the 1855 exhibition as did the mirror which surmounted the cabinet. 

Her Majesty's Furniture: The Thomas Hopper Wardrobe, 1820-30

Wardrobe
Thomas Hopper, 1820-30
From Gosford Castle
The Victoria & Albert Museum

While this wardrobe appears rather unusual, the interior is quite typical for what it is. Made between 1820 and 1830, this is the work of Thomas Hopper (1776-1856) who first trained as a surveyor. Hopper’s first major commission was the Gothic Conservatory which he added to Carlton House, London in 1807, for the Prince Regent, later King George IV.

Hopper established himself as a designer of grand country houses, working in various styles. The most admired of his designs, however, were his Norman-style castles of Gosford and Penryhn, for which he also designed the copious amounts of furniture which were required. Among them, was this handsome wardrobe.

This wardrobe was probably made for Gosford Castle, since it does not resemble any of the Penrhyn furniture. The contents of Gosford were all sold off in the 1920s, allowing this piece to be liberated to the V&A.

The front of the wardrobe is marked by concentric rounded arches which are decorated with variations on zig-zag carving and roll moldings. These are supported by columns with incised decoration. Animal figures grace the spandrels and figurative decoration appears underneath the main arch which is also surmounted by an overhanging cornice and deep pediment.

Her Majesty's Furniture: The Wines and Beers Sideboard, 1859

The Victoria & Albert Museum

The renowned designer William Burges showed this amazing sideboard at the International Exhibition of 1862 (South Kensington, London). The Victoria & Albert Museum purchased it at the 1862 exhibition for the cost of £40.

The sideboard was praised in 1862 for its painted decoration of jolly scenes well-suited for the cabinet's use in storing and serving drinks.  The scene depicts a fanciful  battle between wines and beers, in which Continental wines, represented by Sir Bacchus, fight with British beers, represented by Sir John Barleycorn.  Lady warriors personify Pale Ale, Scotch Ale, Hock and Champagne.

Her Majesty’s Furniture: A Magnificent Jewel Casket, 1750

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Click image for larger size.

Jewel Casket
Florence
1720
The Royal Collection

Made in 1720 in the Grand Ducal Workshops of Florence by Giovanni Battista Foggini, this amazing jewel casket of Ebony, rosewood, hardstones, and gilt bronze came to the Royal Collection through unknown circumstances, possibly as early as the late Eighteenth Century, but probably via Queen Mary. With its intricate mosaic and ornate ormolu, this casket was the epitome of Florentine style.

Though assigned a practical use (holding jewels), the casket is now as valuable as the objects it once held.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Click image for larger size.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Click image for larger size.

The carved gilt wood stand with cabriole legs terminating in lions' paw feet is joined near the bottom by an X-shaped stretcher with a pine-cone finial  with rocaille motifs.  It is original to the piece.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Click image for larger size.

Her Majesty’s Furniture: A French Jewel-Cabinet, 1787

The Royal Collection

Designed by Jean-Henry Riesener, in 1787 for the French Royal Family, this exquisite jewel cabinet was among the many opulent pieces of furniture seized during the French Revolution. Subsequently, it was put on display in a French Museum, but later sold off due to the increasing debt of the French government at the time. Enter Britain’s King George IV with his fascination for French design. The cabinet was quickly purchased (along with a number of other important French items) and added to The Royal Collection.


This cabinet was designed to reflect its use. Sensitively sculpted three-dimensional figures and fittings of ormolu were carefully added to this highly shined walnut piece to give the overall look of it a sense of being a jewel in and of itself. Today, this is considered one of the finest examples of French furniture-making of the period. We should be thankful to King George IV for rescuing it from an uncertain future so that it can proudly represent the tastes of two empires.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
All Images Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Her Majesty's Furniture: The Strawberry Hill Chair, 1755

Ebonized Gothic Revival Chair, 1755
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This handsome chair was designed for the historian Horace Walpole, Fourth Earl of Oxford (and son of the first British Prime Minister), by his friend, the designer Richard Bentley who had been commissioned to design a chair with a back akin to the outline of a Gothic window.  Walpole asked that the chair be very lightweight, painted black, with a rush seat.  Bentley certainly delivered with this exquisite piece which he had constructed by the fashionable London cabinet-maker William Hallett.

Walpole was known for his collection of  furniture, however, he also frequently commissioned new furniture for his own use.  Later, he opened his lovely home to visitors and became one of the best-known exponents of the Gothic Revival style.

He was thrilled with this chair, and commissioned seven more to furnish the Great Parlor at his country residence, Strawberry Hill, in Twickenham which Walpole had modified in the Gothic Revival style.  As Walpole wished, the chair, like its cousins, is painted black to imitate ebony and boasts a back in the form of a gothic window with a drop-in seat with a black horsehair top cover.   The upholstery we see here was added in the Nineteenth Century.

Another from the set which shows the original caned seats which they all once had.

Her Majesty’s Furniture: King George IV’s Bath Cabinet

Bath Cabinet
Morel & Seddon, 1828
Made for King George IV
The Royal Collection

Once King George IV had finished redecorating Carlton House, he turned his attention to refurbishing the Royal apartments at Windsor Castle. The first order of business was to redo his bedroom and bath. The trouble with George IV was that he had so many passions and so many tastes that combining his desires into one cohesive interior design was somewhat complicated if not impossible. George IV wanted his bedroom and bath to be hung with blue silk—like a tent in the Persian style—into which mirrored alcoves would be inset for his bed and bath.

To this end, this bath cabinet was made from panels from a cabinet built in 1810. The three-sided casket of purplewood, satinwood, pietra dura and gilt bronze was set on casters. It opened at the top to allow access to the bathtub. By all accounts it was strange and awkward to use—being at once difficult to get into and out of and quite sloppy to transport. The King quickly grew tired of the cumbersome tub and its preventative case and had the thing put in storage soon after it was introduced to him in 1828.

Later, Prince Albert, being an industrious and frugal sort of chap, came upon the bath cabinet in storage and thought it would make a nice folio cabinet. He had the bathtub removed and the back closed-in so that the piece would have some degree of usefulness.

The Home Beautiful: Marie Antoinette's Armchair, c. 1785

Arm Chair
French, c. 1785
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This chair, surmounted by a monogram of “MA”, was made for a now-unknown palace for Marie-Antoinette, queen to Louis XVI of France. While we’re not sure for which of the French Royal residences this chair was made, it’s notable that a similar suite of chairs was made for the Château de Saint-Cloud. Another two sets of chairs of a corresponding style can be found at Versailles and at the Tuileries. 

One of two carved walnut chairs remaining from the set, this chair (and its pair) were reupholstered with the present silk fabric in 1971. The original upholstery is long, long lost. The restorer took liberties with the silk swags, modeling them after a small wax model of a similar chair which was made about 1780—five years before this chair is thought to have been constructed.

Carved, gilt and painted a gray-white, the armchair features a bowed back and canted sides, above a D-shaped, bow-fronted seat. Turned and tapered legs, the back legs slightly raked and splayed, support the piece. Carved figures of the goddess Diana add drama.

The chair has been attributed to Jean-Baptiste-Claude Sené, (1748-1803) who had been commissioned to create furnishings for a number of the French palaces in the 1780s. 

A newer photo showing the chair, cleaned, with the flounces removed.  

Her Majesty’s Furniture: Queen Charlotte’s Reading Stand, 1780

Reading Stand
English, 1780
Created for Queen Charlotte
Tulipwood, Kingwood, Mahogany,
Ivory, Mother-of-Pearl, Tortoiseshell
The Royal Collection

It wouldn’t do to have the queen prop a book up on a pillow. This exquisite reading stand was made for and presented to Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III, in 1780. The stand features two hinged panels of tulipwood and mahogany which are opened to reveal an ornately and masterfully inlaid panel which features the cipher of Queen Charlotte in mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell.


While we’re unsure of the maker, whoever he was knew Queen Charlotte’s tastes because this lovely object is a visual match to the other furnishings which the queen particularly favored.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Her Majesty’s Furniture: A Neoclassical French Secretaire, 1815

Secretaire
Bernard Molitor, 1815
Oak, mahogany, ebony, lacquer,
gilt bronze, and marble.
Purchased by George IV, 1817.
One of a pair.
The Royal Collection

King George IV, like his mother, Queen Charlotte, had very particular tastes and a desire to own the finest possible objects and furnishings. Also like his mother, George IV, had an affinity for the designs of French artists and craftsmen. So, it’s no wonder that these magnificent secretaire by Bernard Molitor appealed to the young Prince Regent who was handling the empire while his father, King George III, was “indisposed” due to—shall we say—mental strain.


Molitor was known throughout France for his unyielding Neoclassical style furniture. His pieces were very highly regarded and his reputation led him to furnish the most important homes in France during a forty year period. This secretaire by Molitor of oak, mahogany, ebony, lacquer, gilt bronze, and marble is actually one of a matching pair which were purchased by the Prince Regent’s Clerk/Comptroller of the Kitchen and all-around chum/personal shopper, Jean-Baptiste Watier. George IV relied on Watier to make many purchases and trusted the man’s taste. These were among the items that George IV sent to his funhouse/palace, the Royal Pavilion at Brighton.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
via The Royal Collection Trust
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Her Majesty's Furniture: The Prince of Wales Chair, 1788

Armchair
1788, England
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This isn’t just a pretty chair. It’s a pretty chair with a message. The chair pattern, with a heart-shaped back incorporates the Prince of Wales’ emblem of three feathers. This was a very popular motif in the late 1780s and 1790s.

The chair is the work of the firm of Gillow & Company, of Lancaster and London who called the design, “Drapery and feather back” and produced it in numbers around 1788. So, what was with all the love for the Prince of Wales at the time?

In 1787, the Prince of Wales took power as Regent when his father, George III, suffered a “temporary” bout of insanity as an offshoot of the illness porphyria. Even before that, the Prince was a popular figure who took something of a prominent role in the court long before his father’s illness was made public. Funny that when he finally became King George IV, he was largely hated by courtier and commoner alike. 

The chair of carved mahogany still has its original black horse hair covering beneath the upholstery which is clearly modern.

Her Majesty’s Furniture: Queen Charlotte’s Arm Chair, 1780

Arm Chair
1780
James M. Brown
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Sir William Chambers’s, with the help of his assistant John Yenn, undertook the redecoration and modernization of the State Apartments at Windsor Castle for King George III and Queen Charlotte between 1778 and 1795. Sadly, this period of decorative history is, as described by the curators of the Royal Collection, “poorly documented and now largely forgotten.”

Whatever changed were made didn’t last long. In the first years of the nineteenth century, the apartments were redecorated again, largely erasing the work instigated by George III, by a renovation spearheaded by Sir Jeffry Wyatville in the 1820s and 1830s for George IV and William IV.

In 1778, Queen Charlotte, consort of George III, had installed a variety of new furnishings in the neo-classical style, possibly designed by Yenn. Among them were two armchairs and ten stools upholstered en suite, and finished in tri-colored gold. This is one of those chairs. It is inscribed on the calico beneath the embroidered covers with the name of the workman responsible for the upholstery, James M. Brown of Windsor, and the date, “21 July 1780.”

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Her Majesty's Furniture: The Bainbridge Firescreen, 1850

The Victoria & Albert Museum

This firescreen rests on trestle supports with turned and gilded uprights.  The frame is panel glazed and set with stuffed birds.  This unusual, yet handsome, piece comes from Great Britain and was made circa 1850.  

This is so very Victorian in design.  This was an era when taxidermy birds and animals were considered fashionable and appropriate accessories employed in a variety of uses.  Victorian artists were fascinated with nature and the culture as a whole was intrigued with the idea of exploring the natural world.  

Of course, as new animals were discovered, these same explorers were determined to find uses for their beautiful fur and plumage—not thinking that entire species would die out.  In one way, this use of animals is tragic, and, yet, we are somewhat fortunate in that many extinct species are still viewable because they’ve been preserved in works of art such as this.  

Many fire screens were employed to keep the direct heat of the fire off of those seated near the hearth.  This fire screen would not have been good for that. Taxidermy and fire don’t mix.  Instead, this would have made a handsome showpiece in the summer, hiding an empty, unused hearth.