Ebonised Side Chair circa 1875
by Edward William Godwin
£28,000
Code
10317
Edward William Godwin
Side chair, circa 1875
Ebonised Oak
Produced by William Watt, London.
Height: 83 cm
Provenance:
Paul Reeves, UK.
This ebonised oak chair is a perfect example of Edward William Godwin's (1833-1886) experimentation with convex curvature, seen in the outer side rails of the splat and the seat cushion. Other notable design features are the tapering rectangular legs that gently splay outward, and the Japanese architectural influences in the splat's asymmetrical lattice, a detail frequently documented in Godwin's sketchbooks. This grid-like interplay of solid and void fulfils the intentions Godwin set out for himself in making pieces that were 'more or less founded on Japanese principles' rather than actual furniture forms. This stripped back style is however ironically synchronous with Godwin's earlier interest in furniture that prioritised function over form with 'no mouldings, no ornamental metal work, no carving' but just pieces that were 'suitable to the requirements of the case'.
Literature:
William Watt's Art Furniture catalogue "Dining Room Furniture", from Designs by E.W. Godwin, published 1876.
Susan Weber Soros, The Secular Furniture of E.W. Godwin with Catalogue Raisonné, New York, 1999, p.113, cat. no.137 for a similar example, p.122 cat. no.158 for a design for a dining room chair, p.266 for William Watt's Art Furniture catalogue "Dining Room Furniture"
Side chair, circa 1875
Ebonised Oak
Produced by William Watt, London.
Height: 83 cm
Provenance:
Paul Reeves, UK.
This ebonised oak chair is a perfect example of Edward William Godwin's (1833-1886) experimentation with convex curvature, seen in the outer side rails of the splat and the seat cushion. Other notable design features are the tapering rectangular legs that gently splay outward, and the Japanese architectural influences in the splat's asymmetrical lattice, a detail frequently documented in Godwin's sketchbooks. This grid-like interplay of solid and void fulfils the intentions Godwin set out for himself in making pieces that were 'more or less founded on Japanese principles' rather than actual furniture forms. This stripped back style is however ironically synchronous with Godwin's earlier interest in furniture that prioritised function over form with 'no mouldings, no ornamental metal work, no carving' but just pieces that were 'suitable to the requirements of the case'.
Literature:
William Watt's Art Furniture catalogue "Dining Room Furniture", from Designs by E.W. Godwin, published 1876.
Susan Weber Soros, The Secular Furniture of E.W. Godwin with Catalogue Raisonné, New York, 1999, p.113, cat. no.137 for a similar example, p.122 cat. no.158 for a design for a dining room chair, p.266 for William Watt's Art Furniture catalogue "Dining Room Furniture"
H 83cm x W 46cm x D 54cm
H 32.69" x W 18.12" x D 21.27"
H 32.69" x W 18.12" x D 21.27"
