Chair for the Blue bedroom, Hous'hill, Nitshill, Glasgow

Born in Glasgow in 1868 and training in architecture at the Glasgow School of Art, Charles Rennie Mackintosh lived almost his entire life in Glasgow. A leading figure of early international modern design and an early exponent of the art nouveau style, Macintosh designed buildings, along with all interior furniture. His most notable commissions were for the Glasgow School of Art between 1897 and 1899 and the tea rooms for Miss Kate Cranston (1849–1934).

Mackintosh was commissioned to design the furniture and interiors for Hous’hill in Nitshill, Glasgow, the home of Miss Cranston’s husband, Major Cochrane. These two chairs, designed between 1903 and 1904, were intended for the blue bedroom. The chairs feature a cross-hatched back with a linear base, design elements that create a simple, yet bold, design, as well as forming the key structural components of the chair. The chairs are made of oak, which has been stained and waxed to bring out the natural wood grain. After 1920 Miss Cranston no longer lived at Hous’hill, and the house was demolished in the 1930s. In 1993, most of the contents of the house were sold to a Canadian private collection, with the chairs coming to the Gallery in 1994. They are the only known examples of this design by Mackintosh.

Rebecca Evans, Curator of Decorative Arts & Design