-
1 of 253523 objects
White, Allom & Company
Pair of Chairs of Estate 1953
Gilt beechwood (frame), silk damask (upholstery) | RCIN 2607
Throne Room, Buckingham Palace
-
These Chairs of Estate are made in beechwood, carved and gilded. Their style is characteristic of English chairs from the late seventeenth century but with slightly lower backs to enable greater visibility of the sovereign. The high backs, scrolls and features in the balusters, front legs and pillars imitate shapes seen in metalwork and silver furniture of the period.The upholstery is of crimson silk damask in the Canterbury Rose pattern, including the cushion, with a tasselled fringing in white and crimson. Their upholstered arms are supported by turned gilt-wood balusters and the stretcher, which joins the two scrolled front legs, is carved with scrolls and has a cypher - ‘E’ for Elizabeth II - in the centre. Their backs are embroidered with the ciphers ‘EIIR’ for Queen Elizabeth II on one chair, and ‘P’, for Prince Philip on the other enclosed by the symbol of the Order of the Garter.
The chair embroidered with 'EIIR' was used by The Queen at the beginning of the Coronation, up until the point that she is crowned. After the crowning ceremony she sits in the Throne Chair, which is on display in the Garter Throne Room, Windsor Castle.
The Queen's chair was made in 1953 for the coronation, by the London firm White Allom and Company, founded by Sir Charles Allom in 1902 and with offices at 29-30 Old Burlington Street in Mayfair. The firm specialised in historic interior decoration and in seventeenth century and eighteenth century furniture reproductions. The Duke of Edinburgh's chair was made after the coronation.Provenance
Made for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, 2 June 1953
-
Creator(s)
(furniture maker)(nationality)Acquirer(s)
-
Medium and techniques
Gilt beechwood (frame), silk damask (upholstery)
Category
Object type(s)
Subject(s)
Featured in
ExhibitionPrince Philip: A Celebration: Windsor Castle
Commemorating the remarkable life and legacy of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh