Chairs and stools made by David Ralph for Anders Ousback
Object No. 2006/75/1
Tasmanian furniture maker, David Ralph (born 1946), crafted these two chairs and matching stools from horizontal timber in 2000. Ralph's chair consists of a slatted seat with stretchers. Ralph was inspired by historic furniture as well as unique species of Tasmanian timber that developed over thousands of years of geographical isolation. The main influence on David's design was a number of rustic chairs in a book on chairs by Cuffley and Carney (Pioneer 1974) notably a high chair (p.9). That design was modified into an adult sized arm chair taking advantage of the remarkable strength of horizontal timber. A sense of the natural environment is implicit in Ralph's work, reflecting his love of Tasmanian timbers and the rainforests that nurture them. Found in south-eastern Tasmania, horizontal scrub reaches a height of up to twenty metres though grows horizontally along the forest floor when its foliage becomes too heavy for its narrow trunk. As these chairs and stools demonstrate, Ralph chose to work with timber in its natural state, retaining most vestiges of bark and lichen.
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Summary
Object Statement
Chairs (2) and stools (2), untreated timber, commissioned by Anders Ousback, made by David Ralph, Richmond, Tasmania, Australia, 2000
Physical Description
Chairs (2) and stools (2), horizontal timber, commissioned by Anders Ousback, made by David Ralph, Richmond, Tasmania, Australia, 2000 Two matching chairs made from horizontal timber. Each chair comprises four legs, four stretchers, a curved seat with eleven slats, two arm rests and a high back with three horizontal slats. The narrow, untreated timber features residues of bark and lichen. Two matching stools made from horizontal timber. Each stool comprises four legs, four stretchers and a curved seat with eleven slats. The narrow, untreated timber features residues bark and lichen.
PRODUCTION
Notes
David Ralph (born 1946) crafted these rustic chairs and matching stools in 2000 at his workshop in Richmond, Tasmania. He made these pieces from horizontal timber that grows in the rainforests of south-eastern Tasmania, near the township of Geeveston. Ralph worked with the wood in its natural state, retaining most remnants of bark and lichen. The wooden components have been turned on a lathe, and the seat and back slats have been shaped to follow the curvatures of the human body. Ralph always constructed his furniture from horizontal timber though occasionally turned pieces, such as bowls and cannisters, from huon pine. David Ralph moved from Sydney to Tasmania in 1970 after graduating as a mining engineer from the University of New South Wales. He adopted woodwork as his formal profession in 1975, acquiring skills through experience rather than formal training. He retired from woodwork in around 2002.
HISTORY
Notes
New South Wales potter and restaurateur, Anders Ousback (1951-2004), bequeathed these two chairs and stools by David Ralph (born 1946) to the Powerhouse Museum. Ousback commissioned the pieces in 2000 when he moved to his new home in Wombarra, New South Wales. The chairs were situated in the living room while the stools were placed in the guest room at the foot of the bed. In 2005, friends of Anders Ousback donated funds to the museum to purchase a selection of pots from his estate. At the same time, Leo Schofield donated a large porcelain bowl that Ousback had given him in 2003 as a sixtieth birthday present. The chairs simple, rustic design echoes the 'stick chairs' that Tasmanian bushman, Jimmy Possum, made in the Deloraine district in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
SOURCE
Credit Line
Bequest of Anders Ousback, 2005
Acquisition Date
23 May 2006
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