table and chairs
Basilica Museum
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| Object Name: | table and chairs |
| Classification: | man-made artefact |
| Category: | building furnishings fine art |
| Sub-category: | furniture |
| Discipline: | church history local history personal artefact, material culture |
| Material: | wood mother of pearl |
| Technique: | hand-carved carved |
| Accession Number: | Noaccession09 |
| Origin-Country: | Morocco ? |
| Origin-Continent: | Northern Africa ? |
| Use-Province: | Pre-Confederation Newfoundland |
| Use-Country: | Dominion of Newfoundland |
| Culture: | Moroccan ? |
| Cultural Context: | decorative |
| Earliest Production Date: | c 1888 |
| Period: | late 19th century |
| Description: | The base for the legs of these two chairs are made from pieces of wood which are flat on top, but have had curved designs carved into them on the bottom. The front legs are made up of six pieces of wood that extend up to make the back of the chair, and are spaced apart equally. The back legs have been made of five pieces of wood that pass between each of the front legs. The back legs extend all the way forward to the front of the seat, and this seat also connects to the midway point of the front legs/back of the chair. A piece of wood into which floral designs have been carved has been placed on the top of the back of each chair, and a table into which floral designs have also been carved accompanies them. These designs have not just been carved into the wood however, but instead, they have been filled in with pieces of mother of pearl which have been cut to fit each hole. Some pieces have been shaped like teardrops, while others are shaped to make flowers. It should also be noted that the mother of pearl inlays on one chair has 'Jerusalem' carved into it, while the other has 'Gerusalem' carved into it. |
| Narrative: | This table and chair set is believed to have been a gift to Archbishop Michael Howley. According to the Antiques Road Show (circa 2005), the set is Moroccan from North Africa, with ties to Jerusalem. On one chair, 'Jerusalem' is spelled with a J, while on the other it is spelled 'Gerusalem,' with a G. One theory for this is that the craftsman may not have known the correct spelling or the spelling the buyer wanted, so this way, at least one of the chairs would have the desired spelling on it. Also, it was noted that this table and chair set was likely bought in Jerusalem. |
| History of Use: | This table and chair set was owned by Bishop Michael Howley for his personal use. Likely used as decorative furniture, as opposed to functional. |
| Height: | 119.5 (chairs); 75.3 (table) |
| Width: | 43.9 (base of chair); 69.5 (table top) |
| Depth: | 31.8 (chair seats) |
| Unit-Linear: | cm |
| Quantity: | 1 |
| Number of Components: | 3 |
| Component Part Names: | chairs table |
| Subject/Image: | furniture table chairs |
| Inscription: | Jerusalem; Gerusalem |
| Institution: | Basilica Museum |
| Institution City: | St. John's |
| Institution Province: | Newfoundland & Labrador |
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