Napoleon III slipper chair in ‘Bloodlines’ hand-printed linen

Introducing another Napoleon III slipper chair - a ‘sibling’ to the ‘Lyme Bay’ chair in Midnight blue - covered in Janet Tristram’s ‘Bloodlines’ hand-printed linen.

The imagery, brought beautifully to life on the bones of this 1880s piece, features toiling peasants in a rutted field (on the chair’s seat), and two elegant ladies and a gentleman in their finery (on the chair’s inside back). The trio sprout speech bubbles like the Georgian caricatures in a Gillray or Rowlandson satirical print, and their words - in Dorset dialect - are plucked from the poems of C19th polymath, William Barnes. Accompanying them are a debonair scarecrow, a murder of crows, a bull terrier and a falconer on horseback (on the chair’s outside back). A field boundary of hawthorn weaves its way between the main players. The design is hand-printed in an attractive, soft Blue grey.

Like its ‘sibling’ chair, the piece has been traditionally upholstered with great skill and respect for the process. Its pad has been capped, and the edge beautifully hand-stitched (even though, when finished, this isn’t visible). Its original horsehair stuffing has been carded and reused, authenticity and sustainability being key. The chair is a joy to sit on, having solidity and the firmness only horsehair can give.

Its front legs are turned and ebonised; all show-wood has been revived with beeswax, and it gleams. The chair possesses its original ceramic castors and brass castor rings. The tops of the front legs are neatly piped, as are the sides and the top edge of the chair’s back.

This period piece would make a wonderful addition to a sitting room, bedroom or study. Furthermore, it and its ‘sibling’ can be bought as a pair for a special price.

The chair’s dimensions are - Width: 50cm (seat) 43cm (back) Height: 37cm (seat) 83cm (back) Depth: 39cm (seat) 56cm (front to back): Height: Depth:

Artist - Janet Tristram in collaboration with traditional upholsterers Thomas Evans and Harriet Page.

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