Antique Rope Seat Armchair by William Morris

Lovely very rare and collectable william morris rush seat sussex armchair circa 1870-1880 as seen in the victorian and albert museum the history this chair was named after a country chair found in sussex, which inspired the design with the turned frame and rush seat. Similar types of chairs, with imitation bamboo frames and rush seats, were fashionable between 1790 and 1820. Ownership & use william morris and his wife, jane, used sussex chairs in their first home, red house, bexleyheath, kent, from 1860 and subsequently in their london house, kelmscott house, hammersmith. Morris’s great friend, the artist edward burne-jones (1833-1898) had sussex armchairs in his studio, as did the sculptor, alfred gilbert (1854-1934). Robert edis recommended this chair as ‘excellent, comfortable and artistic’ in his influential book, ‘decoration and furnishing of town houses in 1881′. Examples from the sussex range were supplied for students’ rooms at newnham college, cambridge, and for galleries in the fitzwilliam museum, cambridge. Trading the sussex range of modest seat furniture, which started with this armchair and a single chair, expanded as a result of the commercial success of the design. Eventually it included corner chairs, children’s chairs, and settles. A whole page was devoted to the sussex range in the firm’s catalogue, about 1912, where the armchair was priced at 9s 9d (49p). Other firms, particularly liberty & co. And heals, produced their own versions of this popular design. This one is a very fine totally original example with no amendments, this chair is the stuff dreams are made of for collectors. It is I have to say the only one I have seen with a rope seat, it is period to the chair so far as I can see so they must have been trying something different we have cleaned waxed and polished the timber from top to bottom, the frame has been checked and it is good and solid. Dimensions height:- 76 cm width:- 56.5 cm depth:- 52 cm seat height:- 40 cm