In 1882 architect and designer Arthur Mackmurdo founded the Century Guild, a group of Arts & Crafts artists and designers who produced handcrafted objects. Based on the theories championed by John Ruskin, it was the first such guild to succeed in Great Britain. Although numerous examples of furniture, graphics, and metalwork were designed for Mackmurdo for the Guild, it is his design for this chair that makes it his most famous work.
There were presumably six or eight chairs of this design made by Collinson & Lock for the Century Guild. Although the form is based on earlier examples of 18th-century English furniture, the row of curvilinear tendrils and flowers on the back splat is considered by scholars to be an early example of the Art Nouveau style that spread throughout Europe and the United States at the turn of the last century.
Some object records are not complete and do not reflect VMFA's full and current knowledge. VMFA makes routine updates as records are reviewed and enhanced.
