"Elephant" Armchair
The present ebonized mahogany chair, sometime called “Elephant Chair,” is believed to have been designed by Christopher Dresser and made by the workshop of William Booty for retail by the short-lived Art Furnishers’ Alliance (1880–1883). It was part of a group of three chairs thought to have been supplied originally to Hiram Abiff Owston (1830–1905), a solicitor based in Leicester, for his residence Bushloe House. The latter had employed both Dresser and the architect Robert J. Goodacre to enlarge his house and update its interiors.
Artwork Details
- Title: "Elephant" Armchair
- Designer: Christopher Dresser (British, Glasgow, Scotland 1834–1904 Mulhouse)
- Maker: possibly made by William Booty (British, active 1871–1875)
- Purveyor: for Art Furnishers’ Alliance
- Date: ca. 1880
- Culture: British, London
- Medium: Ebonized mahogany, with incised, painted decoration
- Dimensions: confirmed: 29 1/2 × 25 1/2 × 17 in. (75 × 64.8 × 43.2 cm)
seat height, confirmed: 14 3/4 in. (37.5 cm) - Classification: Woodwork-Furniture
- Credit Line: Purchase, Barrie A. and Deedee Wigmore Foundation Gift, 2024
- Object Number: 2024.167
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
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