James Miles Ltd

Christopher Dresser ebonised chairs retailed by the art furnishers alliance c1879 Fantastic and rare Pair of ebonised Aesthetic movement chairs designed by christopher dresser for the art furnishers alliance c1879. Reupholstered In sympathetic fabric with carved and gilded surface decoration. These chairs have real strength and presence. ATTRIBUTED TO CHRISTOPHER DRESSER FOR THE ART FURNISHER'S ALLIANCE PAIR OF SIDE CHAIRS, CIRCA 1880 probably made by William Booty, London, each ebonised and gilded mahogany, with incised decoration and upholstered back and seat (2) 46cm wide, 90cm high, 49cm deep Literature: Durant, Stuart 'Christopher Dresser' 1993. Fine Art Society, London 'The John Scott Collection: The Designs of Dr Christopher Dresser', 2014. Note: The Art Furnisher's Alliance was the association of art manufacturers established by Christopher Dresser (1834-1904) in 1880. The key objective of the alliance was to buy and sell high-class goods of artistic design and to "complete artistic furnishing of a house". George Hayter Chubb was appointed as Chairman, and Dresser was the 'Art Manager' heading designs for furniture, pottery, glass and metal, aided by Holme and Arthur Liberty. To judge from photographs in Messrs Chubb's archive, furniture sold by the Art Furnisher's Alliance was rather more stylish than other pieces by Dresser shown in The Furniture Gazette. However, the common characteristics of his designs are evident in these pieces: ebonised wood, elements of Japanese design and influence, as well as a mixture of Egyptian, Greek and Gothic styles. The use of simplified and symmetrical plant forms, often employed by Dresser, can also be seen on these chairs. Other examples attributed to both the Alliance and Dresser, as depicted in Michael Whiteway's Christopher Dresser, 1834-1904, include a table, chairs, a fire surround and coal box, all which reveal ebonised and gilded frames, with linear designs and repeated patterns. In Victorian & Edwardian Furniture & Interiors, Jeremy Cooper illustrates a dresser made by the Alliance and notes that: "…pieces are firmly attributed to Dresser on stylistic grounds; they have deeply incised gilt lines typical of furniture marketed by the Art Furnishers' Alliance." The Alliance operated from Queen Street in London until 1883, when the company went in to liquidation and items were sold off at auction, marking a close to Dresser's desire to provide one store which could supply all items required to furnish the artistic home.

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