Object Literature
This chair derives from the ‘Morris Chair’ by Phillip Webb who was a designer for Morris & Co, in 1865. It may well be by the very same, though other makers such as Liberty and Jas Shoolbred also made chairs of this type due to its popularity. The design was first drawn after a manager for Morris & Co sketched out the design and asked Philip Webb to create it.
The aesthetic movement can be seen as the bridge to the arts and crafts style. It often had formalised, restrained ornamentation, and was heavily influenced by Japanese decoration, knowledge of which flowed to the West in the nineteenth century through oriental imports. It rebelled against the lavish ornamentation and over-embellishment of the high Victorian period, and sought a purer, more precise level of expression. This particular example has influences from the arts and crafts, the aesthetic movement and Regency revival in its design.
A comfortable and stylish period piece with masses of style.