AN UNUSUAL VICTORIAN ROCKING CHAIR, CIRCA 1890, NORTHERN SCOTLAND, POSSIBLY CAITHNESS OR SUTHERLAND, with slab sides and through tennoned spindle supports, with an arched headboard, front rail and rockers, 101cm x 54cm

This unusual and possibly unique chair embodies construction techniques and design elements which are derived from vernacular chairs made in a widespread tradition in Caithness and Sutherland in the far north east of Scotland. Many chairs from this region were made by crofters for their own use with naturally shaped, continuous back and seat frames which were joined by thin branches. Others, as in this case, were made by `wrights`, or trained joiners, using sawn timbers in a more orthodox way. (See Cotton B D Scottish Vernacular Furniture pp216, 219)

This chair creatively combines the spirit of this vernacular form in adopting the back and seat rail structure of cross rails which are then through mortice and tenoned through the shaped sides, made of planks; the profile of which are also well known

forms in some simply made children`s chairs.

(See Cotton B D Scottish Vernacular Furniture p247 Illus 452) These vernacular features are imaginatively united within a sophisticated over-all design which probably owes its inspiration to the Lowland Scottish Arts and Crafts movement.

The construction of this important chair shows evidence that it was made by a trained `wright` who worked briskly with his tools, leaving process marks in place, to create what is a complex and fashionable design. The cross spindles are morticed and tenoned through the sides of the outer plank supports, and wedged to secure them, forming an attractive curved pattern of spindle ends along the line of the back and seat. The top spindle has a flat head-rest behind it to aid comfort, and probably a soft thin cushion or sheep`s fleece would have been placed over the back and seat rails.

Below the seat, two rectangular cross rails support the sides and are mortice and tenoned through the sides with decorative exposed ends, as does the rail at the top of the back. The sides are also mortice and tenoned into the shallow rockers which are additionally secured with wire binding in two places each side and a round, wedged peg towards the front.

This is a remarkable chair which illustrates the affection and high regard which the followers of the Arts and Crafts movement often had for the use of natural materials and the furniture designs produced by working people on a regional basis for their own communities.

Dr. B.D. Cotton