The BBC TV programme Bargain Hunt continued its series of items on Stoneleigh Abbey in Warwickshire this week, with a look at a superb set of early 18th century chairs which were most probably commissioned by the Leigh family, who built and owned Stoneleigh, from the Cabinet Makers to George I, Moore and Gumley. The chairs are thought to date from 1715-1725.
These chairs, of carved walnut, have survived en suite, and are still on show for visitors to see today.
James Moore and his partner John Gumley specialised in richly carved pieces of furniture, particularly mirror frames and tables. James Moore was a highly skilled worker in gesso. This was a mixture of chalk and size that was built up in layers on a wooden ground, carved in low relief and gilded, and you can see his work in evidence on these chairs. Here you can see a close-up of the carved top rail of the chairs, which have been carved with the arms of the Leigh family, and their baron’s coronet…
The two arms chairs have beautifully carved arms,
that splay outwards,
and which had been gessoed and guided with bell flower motifs and which terminate in this deliciously elegant curlicue
The centre of the frame supporting the seat of the chairs is decorated with more of Moore’s gilding, in the form of the Leigh cypher:
But the glory of them to me, as a once keen needleworker, is the original early 18th century needlepoint which covers the seats and backs of all the chairs
You might also like to see another chair that was featured: an 18th century hail chair, plainly carved
but painted with the Leigh family crest, of a Unicron:
Jane Austen’s keen eye must surely have noticed these interesting chairs when she visited Stoneleigh in 1806. For those of you in the UK, the programme is available to see for the next five days on the BBC’s iPlayer and you can access it here.
8 comments
March 21, 2012 at 1:29 pm
imogen88
Well, Julie, these must be the most beautiful chairs I have ever seen in my life. Thank you for showing them in their grace and detail, and the needlework is divine. Beautiful.
March 23, 2012 at 6:44 pm
jfwakefield
They are marvellous , I agree, Moni. And it’s amazing that they have all survived together, for nearly three hundred years. I’m glad you enjoyed this post.
March 21, 2012 at 4:14 pm
lgilbert52
Thank you for sharing these pictures. I wish I could catch the show! These chairs are incredibly beautiful.
March 23, 2012 at 6:46 pm
jfwakefield
They are wonderful. I love furniture made from walnut, it is such a beautiful wood.and the needlework is simply breathtaking.
March 21, 2012 at 10:40 pm
cathyallen
They are stunning, aren’t they?! I wonder if Jane Austen ever sat on them, or if she thought them too pretty to sit on… I’m amazed at how well they have survived, and the fact that they are all still together. I enlarged the intricate carving to see the detail. Then I enlarged the beautiful needlepoint, and marvelled at it. Then I read further, and chuckled at your feeling the same way about that work — great minds…, you know. :-) Do you know what scenes they depict? I was trying to decipher them, but couldn’t dredge it up from my memory. I DO wish the show would be available on my side of the Atlantic, but your descriptions, as usual, are great; thank you!
March 23, 2012 at 6:50 pm
jfwakefield
She would certainly have seen them on her visit to Stoneleigh in 1806. The needlework is exquisite. Just fabulous. And as you say, a it is a wonder they have all survived.
I wish this programme travelled further, it’s jolly, lighthearted, and has these small magazine items that are often very interesting. If only I ran BBC Anerica…;)
March 22, 2012 at 6:04 am
Laurel Ann (Austenprose)
You had me going there for a moment Julie. I was so concerned when I read Bargain Hunt! I thought the worst. That furniture from Stoneleigh was being sold. What a relief to know that they were being featured and admired instead!
I fancy the thought that Jane Austen sat on them!
Thanks for sharing.
March 23, 2012 at 6:52 pm
jfwakefield
ah-ha! No, thankfully nothing was being sold, just celebrated ;) Im so sorry to have alarmed you, but I’m glad you enjoyed seeing this fabulous suite of chairs ;)