Regency Brass Inlaid Rosewood Metamorphic Bench

About the Item

The rectangular padded seat covered in brown leather, opening to reveal a set of library steps, over a solid inlaid seat-rail and ring-turned tapering legs ending in castors. 18in. high, 34 1/2in. wide and 16 1/2in. deep. Opened, 36in. high and 49in. wide. Rooms organized during the Regency period as libraries often had floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. The upper shelves were difficult to reach, so movable library stairs were invaluable. Further, libraries were one of the most important rooms in a stately house, symbol of its owner's wealth, culture and status. As a consequence, designers, architects and cabinet or chair makers devoted much attention to its architecture and decoration. Hence, the emrgence of innovative ideas such as our bench. Enter the Regency era metamorphic library chair/bench (chairs are more common than benches)! The tables, chairs and stools containing library steps were patented in Great Britain by Robert Campbell in 1774 but this innovative chair-based design did not become immediately popular. Once the Regency was established, a neo-classical interpretation of Campbell’s Metamorphic Library Chair concept started to become popular in London. Any early attributions rely heavily on two contemporary sketches. The first image, by Rudolph Ackermann in 1811, showed a Morgan and Sanders chair, while the second was of a Gillows chair in 1834. What does metamorphic mean, in this context? The word was used to describe a piece of furniture where the same structure could be reused in an alternative form - in our case, as a bench or a library ladder. And just as they were fascinated with mechanical curiosities and dual-purpose furniture during the Regency, so we are today. The design was clever, compact, saved space in the library and looked good. This is certainly the case with our very rare bench.

Dimensions:

Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)Width: 34.5 in (87.63 cm)Depth: 16.5 in (41.91 cm)

Style:

Regency (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Brass,Rosewood

Place of Origin:

England

Period:

Early 19th Century

Date of Manufacture:

Early 19th Century