A Late 20thC Large Pair of Teak Library Steps

Origin: English
Period: Late 20thC
Provenance: Unknown
Date: c.1980
Height: 60.5”
Width: 22”
Depth: 32.5”

The large and well-made pair of library steps in solid teak with four treads, of good colour and having chamfered sides the whole surviving from the last quarter of the twentieth century.

The condition of the steps is complete and stable with only very minimal chipped loss to the feet.  

Library steps first appeared in the mid-1700s in offices and private libraries of European nobility. Since bourgeoise houses had an increasing number of specialised rooms, spaces like the library had to be used more efficiently. Therefore, designers build libraries with high ceilings with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.  By the 19th century, if you were building a mansion in Victorian London (1830s), or in Gilded Age New York City (1870s), you were drawing up plans for a library. 

Very useful indeed and can double up as display.