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ID #SA1161614
FOR SALE
£580
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19th Century Oil on Canvas South Kensington Art School Still Life of 17th C Style Chair Sword
For sale by Rob Hall Antiques
for sale €679     $737
£580

Rob Hall Antiques

Sellingantiques Verified Since Aug 2025
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Id #SA1161614
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19th Century Oil on Canvas South Kensington Art School Still Life of 17th C Style Chair Sword

19th century
Description

An evocative late Victorian oil on canvas painting in unrestored condition depicting a carved oak 17th c style chair draped in a deep red cloth, accompanied by a shield and sword — a carefully arranged still life designed to challenge the painter’s handling of drapery, texture, and form. The 17th century style chair standing on a tiger skin.

The reverse bears the bold “E.S.K.” stamp (Examined South Kensington) together with a partially preserved student registration label. These markings confirm that the work was produced within the South Kensington art school system and submitted for assessment at the South Kensington Art school, which became the Royal College of Art in 1896. This example dates to the 1880s. There is an old label to the front, possibly part of an exhibit label.

The South Kensington System

Established in the mid-19th century, the South Kensington curriculum transformed art education in Britain. Works like this were created in regional art schools and sent to London for examination, ensuring a high, standardised level of instruction nationwide. This painting offers a rare surviving example of that system in practice.

Unrestored, some tears and losses including to left of sword, with surface wear, craquelure, consistent with age but a wonderful survivor.

Measuring: 76 cm x 50 cm

English, c. 1880

Date of Manufacture

Rob Hall Antiques has dated this Victorian Still Life Painting to the 1880s.

Independent Date Guide ID 09131298
Dealer's Item Date1880s
Sellingantiques Date1880s
Sellingantiques agingItem 130-155 years old
ResultsDates match
Why Sellingantiques dated this piece to THE 1880s:
E.S.K. stamp on the reverse: Department of Science and Art South Kensington examination.
Printed student registration label on the stretcher: late nineteenth-century British art school submission.
Softwood stretcher with corner keys: standard Victorian canvas support.
Natural darkening across the unprimed linen on the back: long exposure to air.

This Independent Date Guide was compiled by Sellingantiques using its own proprietary system. It works only from the photographs shown on this page and is never told the date the dealer has declared. It is a guide, not a guarantee of age, and occasional errors can occur.

Physical Dimensions
Height
76cm (29.92")
Width
50cm (19.69")
Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Reference
SA1161614
Description
An evocative late Victorian oil on canvas painting in unrestored condition depicting a carved oak 17th c style chair draped in a deep red cloth, accompanied by a shield and sword — a carefully arranged still life designed to challenge the painter’s handling of drapery, texture, and form. The 17th century style chair standing on a tiger skin.
fig 1. An unframed 19th-century oil painting on canvas depicting a still life scene with a carved 17th-century style chair, draped red fabric, a sword, and a shield.
fig 1. 19th Century Oil on Canvas South Kensington Art School Still Life of 17th C Style Chair Sword

The reverse bears the bold “E.S.K.” stamp (Examined South Kensington) together with a partially preserved student registration label. These markings confirm that the work was produced within the South Kensington art school system and submitted for assessment at the South Kensington Art school, which became the Royal College of Art in 1896. This example dates to the 1880s. There is an old label to the front, possibly part of an exhibit label.

fig 2. An unframed 19th-century oil painting on canvas depicting a still life scene with a carved 17th-century style chair, draped red fabric, a sword, and a shield.
fig 2. 19th Century Oil on Canvas South Kensington Art School Still Life of 17th C Style Chair Sword

The South Kensington System

“
Established in the mid-19th century, the South Kensington curriculum transformed art education in Britain.
Rob Hall Antiques

Works like this were created in regional art schools and sent to London for examination, ensuring a high, standardised level of instruction nationwide. This painting offers a rare surviving example of that system in practice.

Unrestored, some tears and losses including to left of sword, with surface wear, craquelure, consistent with age but a wonderful survivor.

Measuring: 76 cm x 50 cm

English, c. 1880

Date of Manufacture

Rob Hall Antiques has dated this Victorian Still Life Painting to the 1880s.

Independent Date Report ID 09131298
Dealer's Item Date1880s
Sellingantiques dating1880s
Sellingantiques agingItem 130-155 years old
ResultsDates match
Why Sellingantiques dated this piece to the 1880s:
E.S.K. stamp on the reverse: Department of Science and Art South Kensington examination.
Printed student registration label on the stretcher: late nineteenth-century British art school submission.
Softwood stretcher with corner keys: standard Victorian canvas support.
Natural darkening across the unprimed linen on the back: long exposure to air.

This is an independent date report produced by Sellingantiques using its own proprietary system. The process uses the photographs shown on this page. The system is never told the date the dealer has declared. This report shows that the two dates corroborate.

Height
76cm (29.92")
Width
50cm (19.69")
Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Ref
SA1161614
Rob Hall Antiques
Sellingantiques verified Since Aug 2025
Dealer Profile

You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Rob Hall Antiques Profile Page

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An unframed 19th-century oil painting on canvas depicting a still life scene with a carved 17th-century style chair, draped red fabric, a sword, and a shield.
1 / 8
Archive I An unframed 19th-century oil painting on canvas depicting a still life scene with a carved 17th-century style chair, draped red fabric, a sword, and a shield.

19th Century Oil on Canvas South Kensington Art School Still Life of 17th C Style Chair Sword

Archive II An unframed 19th-century oil painting on canvas depicting a still life scene with a carved 17th-century style chair, draped red fabric, a sword, and a shield. View II
Archive III An unframed 19th-century oil painting on canvas depicting a still life scene with a carved 17th-century style chair, draped red fabric, a sword, and a shield. View III
Archive IV An unframed 19th-century oil painting on canvas depicting a still life scene with a carved 17th-century style chair, draped red fabric, a sword, and a shield. View IV
Archive V An unframed 19th-century oil painting on canvas depicting a still life scene with a carved 17th-century style chair, draped red fabric, a sword, and a shield. View V
Archive VI An unframed 19th-century oil painting on canvas depicting a still life scene with a carved 17th-century style chair, draped red fabric, a sword, and a shield. View VI
Archive VII An unframed 19th-century oil painting on canvas depicting a still life scene with a carved 17th-century style chair, draped red fabric, a sword, and a shield. View VII
Archive VIII An unframed 19th-century oil painting on canvas depicting a still life scene with a carved 17th-century style chair, draped red fabric, a sword, and a shield. View VIII
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Rob Hall Antiques
Telephone 07858 820345
Location
Northamptonshire
United Kingdom
Dealer Profile Page sellingantiques.co.uk/robhallantiques
Verified Since Aug 2025
Items For Sale 38
Items Sold 36
Rob Hall Antiques
Verified Since Aug 2025
View Dealer Info
Location: Northamptonshire, United Kingdom
Profile: sellingantiques.co.uk/robhallantiques
Verified
Aug 2025
For Sale
38
Sold
36
An unframed 19th-century oil painting on canvas depicting a still life scene with a carved 17th-century style chair, draped red fabric, a sword, and a shield.
19TH CENTURY OIL ON CANVAS SOUTH KENSINGTON ART SCHOOL STILL LIFE OF 17TH C STYLE CHAIR SWORD
Ref: SA1161614
An unframed 19th-century oil painting on canvas depicting a still life scene with a carved 17th-century style chair, draped red fabric, a sword, and a shield.
Detail View 1
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Detail View 7
Archival Detail

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Cataloguer’s note

Written by Sellingantiques from the dealer’s photographs and listing
  • ObjectOil Paintings
  • Period19th century
  • StyleVictorian Academic
  • MaterialOil, Canvas
  • ColourDark Green
  • MotifsCarved chair, draped textile, rapier sword, circular shield
  • SizeH 76 cm (30 in) x W 50 cm (20 in)

This late Victorian oil painting on canvas from 1880 depicts a still life with a carved oak seventeenth-century style chair draped in deep red cloth, alongside a shield, a sword, and an old label attached to the front top corner. The artwork bears the bold "E.S.K." stamp and a partially preserved student registration label on the reverse, confirming its origins in the South Kensington art school system. It remains in unrestored condition, showing surface wear, craquelure, and some tears and losses, including near the sword, which measure 76 cm high by 50 cm wide. Suitable for a gentleman's library or study, this piece hangs well above a sideboard on a living room wall. It brings historical academic character to an interior through its dark green background tones, visible carved wood details, and textured fabrics. The painting provides a direct connection to nineteenth-century British art education methods without requiring extensive modern restoration or framing.

FAQs

Academic still life painting from this period emphasized technical draughtsmanship, direct observation, and precise rendering of varying textures. Influenced by art institutions like the South Kensington System, students practiced by painting historical props, drapery, and antique objects to master light and form.

Artists used oil-based pigments ground with linseed or walnut oil, applied onto stretched linen canvas or wooden panels. Canvas preparation involved sizing with animal glue and priming with gesso or oil grounds prior to painting.

Authentic pieces usually display age-appropriate craquelure patterns, natural oxidisation on the canvas reverse, and period timber stretcher bars. They may also feature institutional stamps, inventory numbers, or canvas makers stencil marks on the back.

Unframed or simply framed canvases create strong visual interest when paired with dark timber furniture, neutral wall paint, or gallery wall arrangements. Placing the artwork in a library, study, or hallway enhances classic interior aesthetics.

Keep the canvas away from direct sunlight, radiators, and areas with high humidity fluctuations to prevent cracking or warping. Light dust can be removed gently using a soft, dry camel-hair brush, avoiding moisture or commercial cleaning products.
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