AN IMPORTANT AND RARE COMMONWEALTH JOINED OAK HERALDIC-CARVED PANELLED BACK ARMCHAIR

C.1652

The crest carved with a central foliate spray flanked by scrolls and strapwork above a foliate carved lunette frieze and the coat of arms for the Worshipful Company of Brown Bread Bakers above the initials 'RP' and a foliate lunette rail, the moulded uprights with scrolling ears and split turned pendants above down-swept arms on turned gun barrel supports with blocks inscribed '1654' flanking a foliate lunette carved seat rail, on gun barrel and block legs with moulded peripheral stretchers.

The arms show a chevron surrounded by three sheaves, centred by a hand issuing from a cloud and holding a balance, the top part of the shield with four wavy bands overlaid with an anchor,
the stock facing to the right.

The initials 'RP' are probably for Robert Peterson who was made Guild Master of the Worshipful Company of Brown Bread Bakers in 1652.

The arms for the Brown Bakers' Guild were granted on 28th June 1572 by Sir Gilbert Dethick, Garter King of Arms (1550-1584) as a way of asserting their independence from the White Bakers' Guild.

The earliest records of the Baker’s Guild, or the ’Guylde of Our Lady and St Clement’, date from the Pipe Rolls of Henry II of 1155AD when the Bakers’ of London are shown to have paid a mark of gold to the King’s Exchequer for their Guild.

Originally one Guild, they separated into the White Bread and Brown Bread Guilds in the early 14th century. The White Bakers received their first recorded Charter in 1486 and their Crest in around 1536 while the Brown Bakers had to wait until 1572 to be granted their Crest and 1614 for a Charter. They were eventually reunited with each other in 1645 and the belief is that this chair was commissioned in celebration of Robert Peterson being made Master of the combined Guild in 1652.

Although owning their own site on Harp Lane since 1509, from 1594 they had been meeting in the basement of Founders Hall, on Lothbury, London. The date 1654, carved to the front legs, is thought to refer to when the now reunited Guild left Founders Hall presumably to move back into their Hall on Harp Lane, a 5-minute walk from the Monument to the Great Fire of London that started in a bakery on Pudding Lane.

It is an exciting oportunity to handle a prefire of London Guild chair.