The Thebes stool takes its form from an Eighteenth Dynasty Egyptian original excavated at Thebes and acquired by the British Museum in the 1830s — a low seat on turned, splayed legs beneath a dished top. Leonard Wyburd, who directed Liberty & Co.'s Furnishing and Decoration Studio, adapted the model for the London firm and registered the design in 1884; it became one of the defining objects of the Aesthetic Movement. The model was widely copied, and versions were produced by workshops across Europe well into the twentieth century.

This example is unmarked. The stained beech and woven cord seat point away from Liberty's own production, which favoured oak, mahogany and walnut with leather, and suggest a Continental workshop — most likely Viennese. The cords pass through drilled holes in the frame in the traditional manner.

Slight signs of age and use, with small scratches and scuffed patina. Old restoration to the leg joints; structurally sound. The woven seat is in excellent condition.

Width: 14½ in (37 cm)
Depth: 14½ in (37 cm)
Height: 13½ in (34 cm)

Liberty's 1875–1975, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 1975