Images(6)

Side Chair, Splat-Back

Date1695-1725

OriginEngland

MediumWalnut, oak, linen, tacks, straw, curled horsehair

DimensionsOH: 38 1/8"; OW: 20 ¾”; SW: 19”; OD: 20" SD: 17 ½”

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1960-566

DescriptionAppearance: Splat back side chair with yoke crest. Incised moldings along inner and outer edges of cresting rail and stiles. Solid vase splat; incised line along its edge conforms to outline. Trapezoidal seat frame; aprons straight at sides; cupid's bow at base of front skirt; incised line conforms to this lower edge. Turned legs and stretchers; front stretcher turned in a vase and ring pattern; rear stretcher resembles a slender rolling pin. Medial stretcher like rear one; side stretchers block and round. Front legs vase, ring, and block turned; end in Spanish feet. Back legs block and round; squared ends kick back. Slip seat upholstered in modern black leather.

Construction: Front and outside portions of carved Spanish feet applied. Seat rails tenoned into legs, and pegged from front and outside sides in front corners and from outside sides in rear corners; tops of front legs cut down on inside corners to provide supports for slip seat, exposing tenons and some pegs. Strip of wood nailed to rear seat rail to support slip seat in back. Side stretchers are vertically rectangular tenoned to legs, and front joints pegged on outside side; proper left stretcher has later small peg in rear joint from outside face; medial stretcher horizontally tenoned into side stretchers; all rectangular tenons extend beyond height/width of stretcher. Front stretcher round tenoned between front legs and pegged in front corners from front; rear stretcher round tenoned between rear legs, not pegged. Applied beaded moldings that meet at miters on top of seat rails create slight lip over slip seat. Splat tenoned into rear seat rail and crest rail; applied molding in front of splat and on either side; rear top edge of rear seat rail beveled. Crest rail mortised onto stiles and pegged from back. Trapezoidal slip seat constructed with mortise-and-tenon joints, with the sides tenoned to front and rear pieces.

Upholstery: This chair’s slip seat survives with most of its foundation upholstery, including webbing, bottom linen, and a stuffed roll on the front, but is missing its top linen and show material. It has been non-intrusively re-upholstered in black leather (modern).

Materials: Walnut primary, oak rear seat rail and slip seat frame, webbing, foundation linen, tacks, straw, hair stuffing
Label TextThis chair’s upholsterer may have been more familiar with over the rail upholstery than with slips seats. He added a stuffed roll across the front of the slip seat, an element traditionally used in over the rail upholstery but not on slip seats. In order to retain the low profile aesthetic he desired with his deeply padded seat, he created deep-set supports for the slip seat from the front legs and a simple strip of wood in the back.
MarkingsNone found.