A fabulous example of the Orkney chair, made by David Kirkness of Kirkwall Orkney and retailed by Liberty & co London around 1910.
This is the full size gentlemen’s size chair and constructed in Scottish pine. The chair has a very good patina to its carcass and remains in nice original order, standing well and is overall in sound condition. The black oat woven straw back is in fantastic condition with slight wear on the top left hand side. It has a solid wooden seat. There is an ivoreen Liberty & Co label fixed to the underside of the chair
The curved woven Black oat straw back with upright supports issuing open arms with scroll terminals the scrolls were a request from Liberties. The solid wooden seat raised on square tapering legs, and made by D.M. Kirkness, Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland, and retailed by Liberty & Co. London, the whole surviving in beautifully timeworn condition from the early twentieth century.
Rooted in traditional craftsmanship, the Orkney Chair has evolved over time from a low round stool completely covered in straw, to a distinctive low chair with a Black oat straw back. On the largely treeless northern isles, straw quickly became an important alternative material for the manufacture of furniture and other practical domestic items. Some designs feature a hood, thought to provide shelter from any draughts. Later, inset seats began to replace solid wooden bases and the chairs were made commercially by local craftsmen such as David Kirkness.
In the 1890s, a new market was created for the Orkney straw-backed chair, which hitherto had been a vernacular product used largely in the homes of its makers on the Orkney Islands in the north of Scotland.
Two straw-backed chairs were displayed at the Edinburgh International Exhibition of 1890 from that Charles Rennie Mackintosh used a Orkney chair in the bedroom set for Edward VII leading to orders from Liberty of London, the increase of Kirkness’s business from a side line to a worldwide trade, Liberty order was 40 chairs a month, even so Kirkness only ever made around 14,000 chairs during his career.
height 42 inches
Width 24 inches
Depth of seat 16 inches
UK shipping £100.00
International shipping please contact us before placing your order .