The burr-walnut and gilt suite at Houghton was made to furnish the Wrought Bedchamber (originally planned as the dressing room) and the Cabinet (originally planned as the bedchamber) of the second state apartment, to accompany the Embroidered Bed there. While the bed appears to have been made c. 1715--20 for an earlier house (and soon afterwards altered by the insertion in the embroidery of the Garter, which was awarded to Walpole in 1726), the chairs were probably made specifically for the new house (built 1722--35). It has previously been proposed that the chairs too were made for the earlier house, as they are in an earlier style than the oil-gilt chairs that accompany the Green Velvet Bed (in the principal state apartment), which were completed c. 1731. However, the striped (ticking) base cloth used in at least some of the chairs is of identical pattern to that used in at least some of the latter suite, which strongly suggests that the two suites were made close together in time, and in the same workshop. (An alternative explanation -- that the chairs are indeed earlier, and were entirely reupholstered when given their green velvet covers -- seems unlikely, as they could scarcely have needed new upholstery within 10--15 years of being first made.)
ecrm:P3_has_note
The burr-walnut and gilt suite at Houghton was made to furnish the Wrought Bedchamber (originally planned as the dressing room) and the Cabinet (originally planned as the bedchamber) of the second state apartment, to accompany the Embroidered Bed there. While the bed appears to have been made c. 1715--20 for an earlier house (and soon afterwards altered by the insertion in the embroidery of the Garter, which was awarded to Walpole in 1726), the chairs were probably made specifically for the new house (built 1722--35). It has previously been proposed that the chairs too were made for the earlier house, as they are in an earlier style than the oil-gilt chairs that accompany the Green Velvet Bed (in the principal state apartment), which were completed c. 1731. However, the striped (ticking) base cloth used in at least some of the chairs is of identical pattern to that used in at least some of the latter suite, which strongly suggests that the two suites were made close together in time, and in the same workshop. (An alternative explanation -- that the chairs are indeed earlier, and were entirely reupholstered when given their green velvet covers -- seems unlikely, as they could scarcely have needed new upholstery within 10--15 years of being first made.)