Mackmurdo's Chair

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

Architect and interior designer, student with Ruskin and influenced by William Morris and also connoisseur of Renaissance art, Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo was a pioneer in the renewal of the craft of furniture. In 1882, when the Arts and Crafts movement was just beginning, Mackmurdo founded the Century Guild of Artists.

He wanted to provide his customers with a whole range of furniture by focusing his efforts on the simplification of forms and the efficiency of production. The Art Nouveau, which at the turn of the century would spread throughout Europe, is emerging from the Mackmurdo project.

The oak chair that Dreweatts sells at Donnington Priory on October 6 is typical of the production of 1882, yet it already has the shapes and designs of Art Deco with its inverted trapezoid back and its floral decoration.

It is unfortunately incomplete, and £ 80K would be sufficient to acquire it (but not to sit because the missing part is precisely the seat).

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

Unsold. This chair was very early compared to its style, but this is not such a characteristics which is looked after on the market. It was incomplete, and probably in poor condition.