Side Chair

Date1820-1840

MediumTulip poplar, hickory, paint, and gilt.

DimensionsOH: 35 1/4"; OW: 18 5/8"; OD: 22" OH: 89.5 cm.; OW: 47.3 cm.; OD: 55.8 cm.

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1980.2000.1,2

DescriptionSide chair painted black/brown ground dark with ochre; yellow and black crest consisting of a landscape flanked by two clusters of grapes running 4-bead-baluster shape-4 bead pattern on front of back posts. Painted version of tacks at seat edges. Dagger shape painted at front of front legs and yellow used elsewhere to pick out various turnings. The seat is shaped to imitate leather with paint used to simulate brass tacks. The back of the chair is in the typical Greco-Roman ‚ Klismos form, but the turned legs and stretchers are more akin to ordinary painted and lathe turned inexpensive furniture forms of the period. Side, back and front stretchers are mortised into legs. Back posts are attached to the seat with two large wood screws on either side, and are mortized into the crest rail. Mid-slat in back is mortised into back posts.
Label TextThis chair's broad tablet crest featuring a painting of what may be a specific house shows the chair maker’s familiarity with Baltimore practice, but attenuated legs, dramatically upswept stiles, and the weight- less appearance of the chair represent an independent rendition of the klismos form. It is especially unfortunate that this craftsman remains unidentified because the chair shows a degree of poise seldom seen in American Grecian-style seating furniture made in urban centers or elsewhere. The turned back legs retain incised rings found on late Windsor chairs, suggesting the work of a craftsman making the transition from Windsor chair production to fancy chairs. The maker's comfort with the klismos design is playfully expressed by a novel decorative device: To make the chair appear more costly the plank seat is gently rounded to simulate upholstery which is "nailed" to the seat rails with faux brass nails.
ProvenanceUnidentified York, Pennsylvania, auction; Don & Faye Walters.