File:An incomplete Post Medieval lead-alloy toy chair, dating AD1755-1770. (FindID 788740).jpg

English: An incomplete Post Medieval lead-alloy toy chair, dating AD1755-1770. The style of the chair is similar to Thomas Chippendale's ribband back chairs of this time period. The object consists of the back of the chair and seat cast in one piece, with the legs missing. The back stiles are semi-circular in section and initially protrude from the seat vertically, then curve outwards towards the top rail, meeting it at a corner. The top rail is double curved (upwards) with an ellipse. There is a circular motif in both corners of the top rail and at the top of the ellipse. The splat (vertical central element of a chair back) has a symetrical, ribbon style design. It consists of 2 bars connected to the back of the seat at a v-shape, which taper inwards and then curve outwards to form a sub-circular shape in the centre of the splat. The bars then taper inwards again to a point of meeting, with the ends of the bars flaring slightly outwards. Within the sub-circular shape created, there is a pierced lozenge shape with each of the corners connected to the sub-circle shape. The centre sub-circle is connected to the stiles of the chair by two vertical bars on either side. There is another bar on either side which connects the upper part of the stile to the ellipse, bending at a corner to avoid meeting the flare on the splat design. The seat of the chair is trapezoidal in plan, with the front and both sides bent over at almost right-angles. On the front bend there are two stumps where the front two legs, now missing, once connected. The back of the chair is bent upright to approximately 120 degrees from the seat.

The splat and stiles are decorated with a molded-relief design consisting of a beaded design on the splat and top rail, and four-pelleted flower motifs within a circle on the stiles. There is a flower motif where the vertcial bars join the central sub-circular shape. The seat of the chair is decorated with a repeated pattern comprising of lozenges in a grid pattern. Each lozenge has a pellet in the centre. The decoration of the seat may be representing a cushion, as examples of the chairs the toy is likely to be copying have a cushioned seat (Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection). This decoration continues onto the front bend.

The object is a dark grey colour with golden patches which are the result of tin sulphide discoloration from the Thames, also known as "nature's gilding".

A similar style of chair is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection: Accession number: 64.101.983, .984, with a date of AD1755-1760. A similar style of a ribbon-back chair is shown in Macquoid (1988) fig. 614.

Dimensions: height: 78.56mm; width: 53.16mm; thickness: 29.06mm; width: 53.16mm; weight: 17.21g

Reference: Macquoid, P. 1988. A History of English Furniture. Studio Editions London