Furniture and Wood
The small, but significant furniture and wood collection comprises mainly Irish material. The collection contains some very fine and important examples of Irish cabinet-making of the 18th century. As well as carved early mahogany pieces there are later 18th century examples of neo-classical style furniture.
The early 20th century is best represented by an elegantly designed and inlaid chest of drawers in the Art Deco style by James Hicks of Dublin. More recently the museum commissioned the Co Down furniture maker Andrew Klimacki to make a display case and acquired Ghengis, a chair made by the internationally important furniture maker Mary Little who was born in Belfast. One of the most popular pieces in the museum is the Venice Chair by David West.
The collection includes pieces by contemporary artists who work with wood such as Jim Partridge and Susan Wraight.
Image: David West, Venice Chair, carved sycamore, 1986. David West
Object of the Month/The Venice Chair