Pair of chairs by Edward William Godwin (1833-1886)

The four feet, connected by three spacers, support a traditional trim seat covered with its original velvet. The openwork folders offer a set of association of rectangles for one, triangles for the other. The modular aspect of these patterns, the grooves that emphasize the uprights, the fineness of the lower part of the feet are characteristic of the sobriety and refinement of the work of Edward William Godwin (1833–1886), leader of the Aesthetic Movement.

With regard to the decorative arts, the Aesthetic movement reigned in response to the rationalist grip of the Gothic Revival. The scrub and delicacy of his productions also contrasted with the popularization of the contemporary Art and Craft movement. Edward William Godwin, as well as the painter Whistler and the writer Oscar Wilde, was at the origin of this movement. Japan, its source of inspiration since the 1860s, was at the origin of the "Anglo-Japanese" taste that characterizes the chairs offered for sale. Later, his work was marked by archaeology; as early as the 1880s, Egypt and ancient Greece marked his work, which he himself called "Greek furniture". The elegance of his furniture and the historical interest of this designer led the Musée d'Orsay to refer to it.



Height file: 74 cm.
Seat height: 43 cm.
Seat width: 45 cm.