Footstool, solid ivory,carved, turned and pieced and partly gilt, with fbp The footstool is of solid ivory, partly turned and partly gilt. It is decorated with gilt dash borders This armchair and its accompanying footstool are based on English furniture designs of 1780-1810. However, they are of solid ivory, embellished with gilding, rather than wood. Such furniture was made in Murshidabad, the nawabi capital of Bengal, which was a renowned centre of ivory carving. William Pitt, 1st Earl Amherst of Arracan, acquired these pieces in India, where he was Governor-General from 1823 to 1828. According to tradition he purchased them from his predecessor Frances, 1st Marquess Hastings.