A beautiful and highly collectible early 20th-century Arts & Crafts fumed oak and leather “easy” stool, designed and crafted by the renowned woodcarver Arthur W. Simpson of Kendal.
The stool features a beautiful concave seat, constructed with thick, interwoven dark brown leather straps. These are meticulously secured along the shaped frame edges with brass stud detailing. The frame is raised on elegant, clean-lined square tapering chamfered legs, which are united by low H-form stretchers, very typical of the arts & crafts movement.
The underside retains its original stamped brass maker’s plaque: "Arthur W. Simpson, The Handicrafts, Kendal," flanked by the impressed workshop production numbers 8321 and 8585. This stool is the only piece Simpson worked hard to patent in a bid to stop people copying his design.
A superb, honest piece of Northern English design history in excellent structural condition, exhibiting a rich, authentic patina to both the oak frame and the leather webbing.
Measuring:
40 cm wide x 30 cm high x 30 cm deep.
From a private collection in Wales.
Literature: The Simpsons of Kendal, Craftsmen in Wood 1885 – 1952 by Eleanor Davidson, published 1978 & The Beautiful Furniture of The Simpsons of Kendal by Hugh Wright, published 2011.
Worldwide delivery available, not included. Please enquire before purchasing or collect from our London gallery by appointment.
