Lot 188
CHARLES I OAK WAINSCOT CHAIR
17TH CENTURY
Auction: 24 June 2014 at 13:00 BST
Description
the panelled back with down swept arms above a solid plank seat, raised on spiral turned supports, united by a peripheral stretcher
Dimensions
48cm wide, 96cm high
Footnote
Provenance:
By repute once part of Sir Walter Scott's collection at Abbotsford.
Leslie Taylor said of this chair: "This rich, rustic and primitive oak wainscot chair was found in the West Country, but is believed to have been in Sir Walter Scott's collection of early oak at Abbotsford, his home in the Scottish borders. As usual, I could not resist such a provenance, as well as its extraordinary form, so I bought it joyfully! It sits in a corner of my staircase, where I can see it daily, and gives me courage and strength to tackle another day!"
Abbotsford was the home of Sir Walter Scott since 1811 and it is in the Dining Room that he died in 1832. The design of the house - which Scott called his "'conundrum castle" - was inspired by local historical buildings and Scott's knowledge of Scottish history. Carved stones and dark wooden panelling were salvaged from other buildings to decorate the house, while his builders created new fittings taking inspiration from the historical buildings that Scott admired and wrote about. Furniture and furnishing were purchased in London to match the style of the decoration and contributed to create the ancient atmosphere and theatrical appearance that Scott was trying to achieve.
Scott was also renowned as an antiquarian and collector, and he often joked about his love for what he called 'antiquarian old-womanries'. He was a very knowledgeable antiquary, as his library demonstrates, and took great delight in the artefacts he collected - particularly the suits of armour, helmets, swords and guns, the accoutrements of a Highland warrior and the clubs of an Indian tribesman that to this day decorate the Armoury.