Furniture Cover, Leather, Ham House

Date1690-1700

MediumLeather; linen and silk tie tapes.

Dimensions14" X 16 7/8"

Credit LineGift of S. W. Wolsey.

Object number1966-415,1

DescriptionThis is a rectangular piece of heavy leather embossed in a symmetrical stamped and glazed design of scrolling leaves and tendrils resembling damask, possibly originally used as a tied-on arm cover for a chair or settee. The design is dark brown on golden brown leather. Four woven ties are inset near the long edges; three of the ties are natural linen and one is green silk. One of the short edges is partially bound with folded-over leather. The cover has a tear near one edge and a patch on the back near another corner. The rectangle itself has been pieced up from three pieces.
Note: the design appears to be executed in a substance, possibly a sizing solution, that lends a darker tone and polish.
Label TextFurniture and upholstery were expensive and highly valued in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries--so much so that householders often used less expensive, durable covers to protect fine silk upholstery or intricately carved or inlaid furniture. This leather cover with four tie strings may have been used to protect a small stool or (more likely) tied around the arm of an upholstered chair or settee. The stamped pattern resembling damask added a decorative element to the sturdy, functional leather.
This piece has a history of use at Ham House, a seventeenth-century historic house in Richmond, outside of London, England.
ProvenanceDonor states that the leather cover came from Ham House.