The Bodleian Library in Oxford is commissioning its third new chair in 400 years. Who will take the prestigious prize?
Chairs on trial … the three shortlisted designs for the new Bodleain Library chair. Left to right: Barber Osgerby; Amanda Levete; Matthew Hilton. Photograph: Jamie Smith
Clothed head to toe in a flowing blue robe, she sits on a high-backed wooden pew, quill in hand. Raised in front of her, connected to the pew by a low bench, are three raised contraptions – an angled lectern, a rotating round table, and what appears to be a hexagonal book carousel at the top of a spiralling carved column.
"Christine de Pizan seems to have had a thing for elaborate furniture," says Chris Fletcher, keeper of special collections at the Bodleian Library in Oxford. He is showing me a series of illuminations in the 400-year-old institution that depict the medieval author in a variety of situations: perched on a stool at a simple tilted desk, or sitting in a round-backed throne, she is surrounded by all manner of intriguing devices to aid the reading and writing of simultaneous texts.
But de Pizan, who is generally thought to be Europe's first professional female writer, is unusual for the period. "Libraries haven't always had the luxury of chairs," says Fletcher. "In medieval times, you would have had a book room, and then you would take the book out to the cloister to read. It's only in the post-medieval period that people started to read while sitting in the book rooms."
"Christine de Pizan seems to have had a thing for elaborate furniture," says Chris Fletcher, keeper of special collections at the Bodleian Library in Oxford. He is showing me a series of illuminations in the 400-year-old institution that depict the medieval author in a variety of situations: perched on a stool at a simple tilted desk, or sitting in a round-backed throne, she is surrounded by all manner of intriguing devices to aid the reading and writing of simultaneous texts.
But de Pizan, who is generally thought to be Europe's first professional female writer, is unusual for the period. "Libraries haven't always had the luxury of chairs," says Fletcher. "In medieval times, you would have had a book room, and then you would take the book out to the cloister to read. It's only in the post-medieval period that people started to read while sitting in the book rooms."
Thing for furniture … detail of Christine de Pizan in her study. Image: Flickr/Cea
Founded in 1602, the Bodleian Library rooms were always furnished with either raised reading lecterns – to study manuscripts standing up – or low wooden benches fixed to the bookshelves, to which the precious volumes were chained. It was not until the mid-18th century that the radical idea of the chair was introduced.
Records show that in 1756, three dozen Windsor chairs were bought from a Mr Munday, for the princely sum of 8s 6d each (about £120 in today's money) – beginning a story of scholarly sitting that reaches its latest chapter this week.
On show at the V&A from this Saturday, as part of the London Design Festival, are the three shortlisted designs for a new Bodleian chair for the 21st century. Whittled down from 60 designers, the finalists are an eclectic mix of Amanda Levete, former half of space-age architecture practice Future Systems, Barber Osgerby, designers of the Olympic torch, and Mathew Hilton, former head of furniture at Habitat.
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Footnote:
Thanks to Graham Jefcoate for bringing this story to my notice via Facebook.
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