Walter Burley Griffin Oak Side Chair

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An oak side chair, part of the original furnishings of 'Pholiota', Heidelberg, designed by Walter Burley Griffin, circa 1918, with a canted rectangular back, above a tapered body with square supports, the removable back and seat cushion upholstered in striped cloth, 90 cm high, 46 cm wide, 56 cm deep. provenance. Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin. Private Collection, Victoria, acquired from the above, circa 1950s. Private Collection, Victoria, by descent from the above. Private Collection, Tasmania, by descent from the above in 1995. Literature. National gallery of Victoria: One Hundred Modern Chairs, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 1974, no. 73(a) (illustrated, another example). The side chair presented here was acquired by the aunt of the present owner in the 1950s as part of the contents of the home, 'Pholiota', the personal home of Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin, in Heidelberg, Victoria. One of the most influential design collaborations in Australian twentieth century architectural history, the chair is significant not only as a part of the couple's personal collection, but also that it bears the hallmarks of one their best known commissions, the interiors of Newman College, University of Melbourne. Pholiota' was also a landmark design in the Griffin's body of work. Constructed in 1922 on a site at 23 Glenard Drive, Heidelberg, the house was built from an affordable and easily assembled material known as 'Knitlock' bricks, and it was used as a model for affordable and efficient home construction. The chair was acquired by an aunt of the present owner, who had been a tenant at 'Pholiota' in the 1950s and had been given the opportunity to purchase some of the contents of the property. Ownership passed to the current owner by descent from his late mother in 1995.

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Oak - Native to Europe and England, oak has been used for joinery, furniture and building since the beginning of the medieval civilisation. It is a pale yellow in colour when freshly cut and darkens with age to a mid brown colour.

Oak as a furniture timber was superceded by walnut in the 17th century, and in the 18th century by mahogany,

Semi-fossilised bog oak is black in colour, and is found in peat bogs where the trees have fallen and been preserved from decay by the bog. It is used for jewellery and small carved trinkets.

Pollard oak is taken from an oak that has been regularly pollarded, that is the upper branches have been removed at the top of the trunk, result that new branches would appear, and over time the top would become ball-like. . When harvested and sawn, the timber displays a continuous surface of knotty circles. The timber was scarce and expensive and was used in more expensive pieces of furniture in the Regency and Victorian periods.
Provenance - A term used to describe the provable history of an antique or work of art, and thus an additional aid to verifying its authenticity. Provenance can have an inflating effect on the price of an item, particularly if the provenance relates to the early settlement of Australia, a famous person, or royalty. Less significant are previous sales of the item through an auction house or dealer.
Circa - A Latin term meaning 'about', often used in the antique trade to give an approximate date for the piece, usually considered to be five years on either side of the circa year. Thus, circa 1900 means the piece was made about 1900, probably between 1895 and 1905. The expression is sometimes abbreviated to c.1900.
Gallery - On furniture, a gallery is a small upright section, frequently pierced and decorated, around the tops of small items of furniture, such as davenports, side tables, and so forth. Galleries are made in brass or bronze,and be fretted, pierced or solid timber. A three-quarter gallery is one that surrounds three of the four sides of a table, desk or other top.

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Walter Burley Griffin Oak Side Chair

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