A PAIR OF RED-PAINTED ASH-LAMINATE PRINCE OF WALES INVESTITURE CHAIRS
DESIGNED IN 1969 BY LORD SNOWDON AND MADE BY REMPLOY
Important information about this lot
Price Realised GBP 43,750
Estimate
GBP 2,000 - GBP 4,000
Estimates do not reflect the final hammer price and do not include buyer's premium, any applicable taxes or artist's resale right. Please see the Conditions of Sale for full details.
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A PAIR OF RED-PAINTED ASH-LAMINATE PRINCE OF WALES INVESTITURE CHAIRS
DESIGNED IN 1969 BY LORD SNOWDON AND MADE BY REMPLOY
The Investiture of the Prince of Wales in 1969 was a crowning achivement for Lord Snowdon. Personally asked by HM The Queen to oversee the ceremony - as a Welshman, member of the Royal family and foremost a designer, he was an inspired choice, and was created Constable of Caernarvon Castle for the ceremony. The Investiture was a triumph, and when asked about his designs, Snowdon replied 'I am not a modernist for the sake of being modern. I just happen to be alive in 1969'.
Working with his great friend Carl Toms (who had been mentored by Oliver Messel), and John Pound, the brutalist designer from the Ministry of Works, the designs for the ceremony were ground-breaking and celebrated both modernity and antiquitity, in a time when Welsh independence and its place within the Union was at risk.
Snowdon's design for the now famous investiture chair was equally modern, manufactured at the Remploy factory in Bridgend. Taking the design of the Prince of Wales feather from a badge for the Cader Idris Volunteers, a badge Snowdon treasured on his desk for many years.
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Condition report
A Christie's specialist may contact you to discuss this lot or to notify you if the condition changes prior to the sale.
The condition of lots can vary widely and the nature of the lots sold means that they are unlikely to be in a perfect condition. Lots are sold in the condition they are in at the time of sale.
In overall fairly good condition. With some light scuffing to edges, showing the bare laminate timber beneath. Some minor scratching to the backs. The original upholstery worn overall, with staining and marks. One with some losses and a small black mark and the interior upholstery slightly misformed. Otherwise structurally secure and highly decorative.
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Lot 92Sale 19648
DESIGNED IN 1969 BY LORD SNOWDON AND MADE BY REMPLOY A PAIR OF RED-PAINTED ASH-LAMINATE PRINCE OF WALES INVESTITURE CHAIRSEstimate: GBP 2,000 - 4,000
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