Christopher Dresser

cast iron, oak, with a red finish highlighted in colour and gilt, the upper pierced rail cast with foliate roundels above a central roundel depicting Boreas and two lower panels of stylised foliage, the legs with conforming pierced angle brackets, joined by an H-shaped stretcher

Jeremy Cooper, Victorian and Edwardian Furniture and Interiors, Hong Kong, 1987, p. 130, fig. 300
Widar Halén, Christopher Dresser, a Pioneer of Modern Design, London, 2000, pl. 7, p. 15

An impressive and sizeable piece of good overall appearance. Weight approx. 40kg. Marks to reverse later highlighted in white paint. Old marks and scratches. With an oak seat which could be original. Seat with two splits. It is possible that the detailing colours have been retouched but some time ago. In honest original condition. Both this and the ensuite subsequent lot are rare survivors and ready for display.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Christopher Dresser (1834-1904) was a pioneer of modern design and arguably Europe's first industrial designer. One of the most radical designers of the nineteenth century, he enthusiastically promoted machines and mass-production, and his prolific output embraced a wide range of styles and techniques in ceramics, glass, metalwork, furniture, carpets, textiles, wallpapers and interior decoration. Working for the leading manufacturers of the day, he was an influential writer and theorist, stressing the importance of function, simplicity, mechanical skill and the use of readily available materials (Halén op. cit.)

As a Professor of Botany his naturalistic influences clearly show in these two lots. Unusually, the design also features figurative panels. The central ornament on the chair back depicts Boreas, the Greek god of the North Wind, who invited winter with his icy breath. Both designs were registered at the Public Record Office in London on the 8th March 1870, three years after Dresser began to design for the manufacturers Coalbrookdale. This date shows that these pieces were created in the same year that Dresser began his celebrated articles 'The Principles of Decorative Design', which went on to be printed in book form in 1873, and they also predate by several years his famed trip to Japan of 1876 and 1877, the first official visit of a European designer to Japan, as a private guest of the Japanese government.

This chair and hall stand are a welcome discovery of two of his most impressive designs. How these pieces came to be in Australia is unknown. What is known is that Dresser's brother-in-law, Jonathan S. Perry, lived in Marrickville, Sydney, in circa 1890, and it has been suggested that iron railings were used as ballast by ships on the UK-Australia trade routes in the 19th century.

An example of this chair is in the permanant collection of The Wolfsonian, Florida International University, Miami Beach, U.S.A.