A wonderfully characterful Hungarian pine settle, dating to the late 19th century and retaining an extraordinary amount of its old decorative painted surface.
Built on a generous scale at just under two metres long, the bench has a high panelled back, gently shaped arms and a hinged box seat opening to reveal a large storage compartment beneath. It is one of those pieces of furniture where usefulness and decoration have been given fairly equal billing — somewhere to sit, somewhere to hide an unreasonable quantity of blankets, and quite a lot to look at.
The real joy is the paintwork. A deep reddish-brown ground has been worked throughout with repeated combed and dragged decoration, wavy borders, stripes, loops and simple geometric motifs. The treatment varies from panel to panel rather than following a rigid pattern, giving the whole thing a wonderfully loose, almost drawn quality. The central crest and rolled ends to the arms add just enough flourish to an otherwise pleasingly straightforward piece of country furniture.
Hungary and neighbouring Transylvania had a particularly rich tradition of painted vernacular furniture, with local makers decorating everyday pine furniture using floral, geometric, grained and linear motifs. This settle sits comfortably within that tradition, most likely dating from the latter part of the 19th century.
Years of use have worn the decoration considerably, particularly across the seat and leading edges, exposing the pale pine beneath and softening what would originally have been a much stronger painted scheme. For us, this is very much part of the appeal. It hasn't been tidied into submission; the wear gives the surface a depth and history that would be impossible to convincingly reproduce.
At 198 cm long it has real presence and will comfortably accommodate three people, while the substantial storage beneath the hinged seat makes it unusually practical. Excellent against a long kitchen wall, in a hallway or boot room, or pulled up to one side of a large dining table.
A big, useful piece of folk furniture with a particularly good surface.
Condition
Good antique condition, structurally sound and ready for use.
There is extensive age-related wear to the original decorative finish, including rubbing, losses, scratches, marks and areas where the underlying pine is exposed. There are old knocks, small splits and irregularities throughout, all consistent with the age and utilitarian history of the piece.
The interior of the storage compartment and reverse retain traces and remnants of previous paint finishes. These have deliberately been left as found.
Please refer closely to the photographs, which form part of the condition report.
Dimensions
Length: 198 cm
Depth: 50 cm
Overall height: 98.5 cm
Seat height: 53 cm
Delivery
This piece requires specialist courier delivery. Delivery is charged at cost, with a tailored quote provided after ordering; estimates are available beforehand.
