A rare 1930s Robert 'Mouseman' Thompson dish top stool. The seat has been made from a gorgeous piece of burr oak, quite rare to see as burr is very difficult to work with, especially when subjected to the process Mouseman used to shape it for this stool design. The oak is soaked in water until it can be bent into a more rustic shape as seen on this example. It's a time-consuming process that often resulted in the oak cracking and wastage. Hence why the dish top stools are scarce and therefore more highly sought after as not as many of them were made.
 
The legs and rails have been fully adzed. Again, rare and only seen on these early stools, the legs and rails on later stools are left plain to save time. This example also has pop marks (small indentations) to the bottom of each leg (as seen in the pictures). This indicates that the stool was made before the mid 1930s as the legs on these early stools were attached to a lathe so they could be turned and shaped. From the mid 1930s onwards, the legs were shaped on the bench, so the later stools don't have these marks and it is highly unusual to find early stools with these marks.
 
Regarding condition, it is very good. There is a small loss to the seat as can be seen in the pictures, all natural, and due to it being burr oak. After turning the stool over, you can see that a natural crack has been filled at the top of one leg, and there is a natural knot on one rail with another small natural loss, not really noticeable, but should be pointed out. The signature mouse has been so well carved and is also in very good condition. It just has 'rubbed ears', especially the left ear, which is quite worn, there is also a tiny loss to the tail, only really seen on close inspection. Other than that, the stool just has a bit of surface wear in line with approximately 100 years of use. It also has wonderful patination that gives the piece that glossy look that you just can't get with the later Mouseman stools.
 
It is a strong, sturdy stool with no movement in the joints - still very useable today. 
 
The seat measures 40.3 cm x 28 cm. The height of the stool is 35 cm. A stunning piece.
 
*Mouseman burr oak pieces are always very popular with collectors as the distinctive grain patterns, natural cracks, splits and knots really add character and charm to the pieces, so they command much higher prices and are rarer to the market.
 
Delivery £15.00