Extended documentation project: a 17thC chair at Knole, Sevenoaks, Kent

Extended documentation

May assist in building an objects biography/profile. For example, the objects original construction, its past use, notable repairs and, in the case of seat furniture, any significant upholstery intervention. Documentation outcomes may provide effective support in exhibition gallery in regard to interpretation, if displayed alongside the object.

Description

This chair of state, c1625, forms part of the Sackville Collection at Knole, Sevenoaks in Kent, UK. It is upholstered in purple silk velvet, embellished with metal embroidery and trimmings.

Client brief/Role of object

The aim of the project was to demonstrate the extent of information that could be obtained concerning the materials and construction of the upholstery, by using a limited number of non-destructive, non-intrusive examination techniques. No materials were removed, no samples were taken.

Outcomes

All information gleaned from the examination was documented on the line drawing above.

Further Information

The chair is on display at Knole (The Sackville Collection), Sevenoaks, Kent.

[TCC 2360]

Acknowledgements

Reproduced courtesy of the National Trust and the Textile Conservation Centre, University of Southampton. Textile Conservation Centre, University of Southampton © 2009.

Further examples of extended documentation

Gill, K. & Doyal, S. A brief object record: the Brooklyn Museum of Art easy chair. In: Gill, K. & Eastop, D. (eds) 2001. Upholstery Conservation: Principles and Practice. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann, p 186 -192.

Work undertaken by Kate Gill Project completed 1998