The central scene represents a nymph being chased by Apollo. The chair seat appears never to have been used. It was donated to the V&A together with other furniture covers. A letter added to the donation by the donor's nephew tells about the background of the furnishings: “They were worked by the first Lady King and her ladies. She was the wife of Peter Ist Baron King, who was Lord Chancellor from 1725 to 1733. His mother was the sister of John Locke the philosopher.”
The chair seat may thus reflect domestic work carried out by the ladies of the house. It could therefore be compared to the embroidery as shown on the mid-eighteenth century painting of Lady Jane Allgood, which was apparently meant for the upholstery of the furniture of Nunwick Hall in Northumberland.
See also the Needles entry on an embroidered formal chair from France, also from the eighteenth century.
V&A online catalogue (retrieved 2 November 2016).
WV