Her Majesty's Furniture: The Coburg Armchair, 1851

Armchair
Theodor Behrens
Coburg, Germany, 1851
The Victoria & Albert Museum
Donated from Holyrood Palace

Here we see one of a set of four ornate Gothic-style armchairs which match an impressive sideboard.  The set was made in the German state of Coburg (the home of Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert) and was sent specifically to Prince Albert’s 1851 Great Exhibition to represent Germany’s creative work. The chairs were not intended to be thrones (though that’s the overall look), but rather were meant to demonstrate the skill of the designers and carvers. Theodor Behrens, who was responsible for the carving, adorned each chair with slightly different motifs and carved an inscription, including his name, on the back of this one. The original wool tassels of the fringe were bright pink as opposed to the gold that we see today.

The set of furniture was praised by the Art-Journal Illustrated Catalogue in 1851 for the carving “in the German-Gothic style of the middle ages.”  The chairs were especially praised while the sideboard received an “honourable mention” in the jury reports for the exhibition.

The sideboard and chairs were  installed in the Evening Drawing Room, part of the Royal Apartments on the first floor of Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh, in 1852. Victoria and Albert used Holyrood as a “stopping place” when they traveled to their Aberdeen estate, Balmoral. The  palace’s Evening Drawing Room was also furnished with a suite of furniture which was upholstered in crimson velvet. In 1863, Queen Victoria commissioned a watercolor of the room, showing two of these chairs flanking the sideboard, to record her happy memories of holidays in Scotland with Prince Albert.

Building of the Week: The Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, Scotland

Entrance Facade
The Royal Collection © 2009 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Known as Holyroodhouse, The Palace of Holyroodhouse and Holyrood Palace, this majestic Edinburgh castle with its ruined abbey is the official residence of the Queen when she is in Scotland. Unofficially, she likes to stay at Balmoral while in Scotland, but that estate is her own private property.

The West Facade
The Royal Collection
© 2009 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Holyrood Palace, like many of the Royal residences, has grown and developed over the centuries. Legend states that the land was the spot where King David I found himself about to be attacked by a hart when the animal was distracted by a sign from God. Following that “miraculous” encounter, King David I, ordered that an abbey be built on the land. The monastery at Holyrood Abbery was founded in 1128.

The abbey was the site of many marriages and burials as well as coronations until the roof collapsed in 1768. The structure has remained as it is—un-restored—for two hundred fifty years. Though many have proposed rebuilding or restoring the abbey since the Eighteen Century, no plan has ever been accepted. And, so, the abbey remains ruined.

Holyrood Abbey
The Royal Collection © 2009 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

An Aerial View
The Royal Collection © 2009 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

In contrast to that, Holyrood Palace is quite well maintained though it, too, has been destroyed on several occasions. Three hundred years after the construction of the abbey, a small guesthouse was built nearby. Over the course of the next century, the house was expanded and became a popular vacation home for many in the Royal Family. It was a Royal residence in all ways except name. In 1498, King James IV ordered the construction of a new palace which would replace the adapted guesthouse. For three years, the palace was constructed. The result was an official Royal residence which truly befitted a king.

Bed Chamber of Mary, Queen of Scots
The Royal Collection © 2009 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 

Built around an enormous quadrangle, the new palace contained a chapel, a great hall and various Royal apartments. James V added to the palace, constructed the suite of rooms and the tower which would be occupied by Mary, Queen of Scots.

With the ascension of James VI to the throne in 1603, the palace fell out of use when the permanent Royal court was moved to London. In 1650, the palace was destroyed (some say accidentally) by Oliver Cromwell’s troops. Cromwell insisted that he would rebuild the palace, and he did. However, Cromwell’s additions were pulled down by King Charles II who erected the structure we see today.

The Queen's Gallery
The Royal Collection
© 2009 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 

Since then, Holyrood Palace has welcomed many different British monarchs and heads of state. Today, the Scottish branch of the Queen’s Gallery is located in Holyroodhouse and welcomes visitors from around the world.

To learn more about this historic Royal residence, visit the Official Web Site of the British Monarchy. 

The King's Closet
The Royal Collection © 2009 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

As it was in 1789.
The Royal Collection © 2009 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Her Majesty's Furniture: The Coburg Sideboard, 1851

Sideboard
Germany, 1850-1851
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Oh, Prince Albert…you can take the boy out of Germany, but you can’t take the Germany out of the boy. Though courtiers suggested to Queen Victoria that her Consort might want to tone down the whole, “I’m a foreign prince” schtick at various points, Prince Albert was unabashedly German in almost every way. Though Prince Albert’s pre-Victoria life was actually kind of terrible and sad, after his marriage he romanticized Germany and his boyhood and developed a rather peculiar tie to all of the things which he ignored when he actually lived in Germany.

So, by 1851, when the Prince’s baby, “The Great Exhibition” had launched, he was keen to make sure that Germany was represented. And, then, came this sideboard and its heavily carved brethren. Ferdinand Rothbart (1823-1899), a German furniture maker, presented a handsome suite of furniture at the Great Exhibition of 1851. Rothbart was assisted by one Th. Kolb whose history is all but lost now. The suite included four chairs among other objects which were all manufactured by Thomas Hoffmeister and Thomas Behrens in Coburg, Germany around 1850.

The entire lot was commissioned by the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg. Just for the record, let’s not forget that Albert was the Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (which was, by the way, the official name of the Royal Family from Victoria’s 1840 marriage until King George V changed it to “Windsor” on July 17, 1917 during the First World War when there was, understandably, some anti-German sentiment).

After the Exhibition, and after the sideboard—the most admired piece of the lot—was awarded an “Honourable Mention” by the juries there, Prince Albert bought the whole lot, intending to use the pieces in Balmoral Castle. However, during the construction of the new castle at Balmoral, the furnishings were taken to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh where it was used in the Evening Drawing Room. Evidently, Albert changed his mind and the suite never made it to Balmoral. It remained in Holyroodhouse until 1923 when Queen Mary donated the furnishings to the University of Edinburgh. I find this rather queer as it’s the first time I ever heard of Queen Mary donating anything to anyone. She much preferred having people donate things to her. I suspect, however, that these pieces weren’t really Mary’s cup of tea. She, too, at times tried to distance herself from her German roots. After all, aside from being related to Prince Albert as well, she was also the daughter of the uber-German Duke of Teck. Perhaps she just didn’t want these pieces around. The University grew tired of the suite as well, and, in 1967, donated the lot to the V&A which seems quite content to have it. 


This particular sideboard was described in the 1851 Exhibition catalog as being “in the German-Gothic style of the middle ages.” Well, yes, it is. It’s quite Gothic—complete with ogival arches and repeated motifs similar to Gothic window tracery. The door panels are deeply carved with hunting scenes and motifs. The central doors depict a group of deer in a woodland setting. These are flanked by figures of men with spears, knives and bugles. Boars and bears round out the theme. The whole of the reverse is covered in deep, plush, red velvet, which, where exposed, is faded to brown.

Her Majesty's Furniture: The Coburg Armchair, 1851

Armchair
Theodor Behrens
Coburg, Germany, 1851
The Victoria & Albert Museum
Donated from Holyrood Palace

Here we see one of a set of four ornate Gothic-style armchairs which match an impressive sideboard.  The set was made in the German state of Coburg (the home of Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert) and was sent specifically to Prince Albert’s 1851 Great Exhibition to represent Germany’s creative work.  The chairs were not intended to be thrones (though that’s the overall look), but rather were meant to demonstrate the skill of the designers and carvers. Theodor Behrens, who was responsible for the carving, adorned each chair with slightly different motifs and carved an inscription, including his name, on the back of this one. The original wool tassels of the fringe were bright pink as opposed to the gold that we see today.

The set of furniture was praised by the Art-Journal Illustrated Catalogue in 1851 for the carving “in the German-Gothic style of the middle ages.”  The chairs were especially praised while the sideboard received an “honourable mention” in the jury reports for the exhibition.

The sideboard and chairs were  installed in the Evening Drawing Room, part of the Royal Apartments on the first floor of Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh, in 1852. Victoria and Albert used Holyrood as a “stopping place” when they traveled to their Aberdeen estate, Balmoral. The  palace’s Evening Drawing Room was also furnished with a suite of furniture which was upholstered in crimson velvet. In 1863, Queen Victoria commissioned a watercolor of the room, showing two of these chairs flanking the sideboard, to record her happy memories of holidays in Scotland with Prince Albert.

Her Majesty’s Furniture: Prince Albert’s Neo-Gothic Oak Bookcase

Carl Leistler & Son, the makers of this masterpiece of Austrian Gothic furniture, were given the chance to include this bookcase in their display at the Great Exhibition of 1851. There, the bookcase caught the eye of Prince Albert who had been largely responsible for the Great Exhibition.

Bookcase of Oak
Austria, 1851
The Victoria & Albert Museum

As a token of his esteem and gratitude for Austria’s presence at the Great Exhibition, the Austrian Emperor Franz Josef gave the bookcase, still containing books and albums of watercolors, to Queen Victoria. Victoria knew that her husband had long admired the bookcase and presented it to Prince Albert who initially used it at Buckingham Palace. Later, it was moved to Holyroodhouse when it was refurbished for the royal family during their holidays in Edinburgh.

In 1923, King George V wishing to make an important gift to the University of Edinburgh, presented his grandfather’s favorite bookcase to the institution.

Building of the Week: The Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, Scotland

Entrance Facade
The Royal Collection © 2009 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Known as Holyroodhouse, The Palace of Holyroodhouse and Holyrood Palace, this majestic Edinburgh castle with its ruined abbey is the official residence of the Queen when she is in Scotland. Unofficially, she likes to stay at Balmoral while in Scotland, but that estate is her own private property.

The West Facade
The Royal Collection
© 2009 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Holyrood Palace, like many of the Royal residences, has grown and developed over the centuries. Legend states that the land was the spot where King David I found himself about to be attacked by a hart when the animal was distracted by a sign from God. Following that “miraculous” encounter, King David I, ordered that an abbey be built on the land. The monastery at Holyrood Abbery was founded in 1128.

The abbey was the site of many marriages and burials as well as coronations until the roof collapsed in 1768. The structure has remained as it is—un-restored—for two hundred fifty years. Though many have proposed rebuilding or restoring the abbey since the Eighteen Century, no plan has ever been accepted. And, so, the abbey remains ruined.

Holyrood Abbey
The Royal Collection © 2009 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

An Aerial View
The Royal Collection © 2009 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

In contrast to that, Holyrood Palace is quite well maintained though it, too, has been destroyed on several occasions. Three hundred years after the construction of the abbey, a small guesthouse was built nearby. Over the course of the next century, the house was expanded and became a popular vacation home for many in the Royal Family. It was a Royal residence in all ways except name. In 1498, King James IV ordered the construction of a new palace which would replace the adapted guesthouse. For three years, the palace was constructed. The result was an official Royal residence which truly befitted a king.

Bed Chamber of Mary, Queen of Scots
The Royal Collection © 2009 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Built around an enormous quadrangle, the new palace contained a chapel, a great hall and various Royal apartments. James V added to the palace, constructed the suite of rooms and the tower which would be occupied by Mary, Queen of Scots.

With the ascension of James VI to the throne in 1603, the palace fell out of use when the permanent Royal court was moved to London. In 1650, the palace was destroyed (some say accidentally) by Oliver Cromwell’s troops. Cromwell insisted that he would rebuild the palace, and he did. However, Cromwell’s additions were pulled down by King Charles II who erected the structure we see today.

The Queen's Gallery
The Royal Collection
© 2009 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Since then, Holyrood Palace has welcomed many different British monarchs and heads of state. Today, the Scottish branch of the Queen’s Gallery is located in Holyroodhouse and welcomes visitors from around the world.

To learn more about this historic Royal residence, visit the Official Web Site of the British Monarchy.

The King's Closet
The Royal Collection © 2009 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

As it was in 1789.
The Royal Collection © 2009 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Her Majesty’s Furniture: A "Turkey Work" Chair, 1685

Turkey Work Chair
Wool, 1685
Purchased by James II
The Royal Collection

I confess that I selected this chair as Stalking the Belle Époque’s weekly furniture highlight for the simple fact that I like the phrase, “turkey work.” Say it out loud. Go on. See, it’s fun. Not only that, but it’s a nice looking chair with an important lineage.


To begin with, let’s talk about what “turkey work” is. Now, I’m biting my tongue because I want to make jokes. But, I won’t. Turkey work refers to a type of upholstery fabric which features a thick, knotted pile and a highly intricate floral pattern on a dark ground. Why is it called “turkey work?” Because it was meant to imitate the look of Turkish carpets.

This particular chair is one of the few survivors of an impressive set of chairs purchased for use in the Privy Council Chamber at Holyroodhouse (Holyrood Palace) in Scotland. The first lot of chairs was purchased in 1668 and was of the same style, but featured simple green upholstery. In 1685 the chamber was redecorated and additional chairs were purchased. These featured the “turkey work” we see today. It is said that King James II selected them himself. He just had his hand in everything, didn’t he?

Over time, this collection of chairs was shuttled from palace to palace, and to the occasional cathedral. So, it’s fair to say that most of them gave up the ghost due to use and natural causes. Therefore, it’s rather remarkable that this survivor is in such remarkably good condition. It must have been in the back corner of the room.