Armchair, splat-back

DateCa. 1750

MediumMahogany, tulip poplar, white cedar and, yellow pine

DimensionsOH: 40 5/8"; OW: 32"; OD: 18 3/4"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1981-167

DescriptionArmchair with serpentine crest rail, central shell carved element with foliage, and rounded shell carved ears; pierced diamond motif splat with carved rosettes at scroll ends; shoe with gadrooned top molding; molded serpentine arms ending in knuckled volutes; C-scrolled faceted arms supports; stiles rounded on back above seat rail; trapezoidal slip seat; front and side seat rails with ogee molded upper edge and returns at each end of skirt; front seat rail with central pendant carved shell; front cabriole legs with C-scroll and acanthus carving ending in drake or trifid feet; rear legs rounded below seat rail rake slightly back.
Label TextFurniture made in mid eighteenth-century Maryland was so heavily influenced by that made in Philadelphia that the two are often indistinguishable. In general, Maryland rococo chairs, though made in the Philadelphia style, tend to have thick proportions, broad splats, shallow carving, features all evident in this example. This chair also lacks the through-tenon seat construction found in most Philadelphia seating furniture. Taken together, these traits suggest a Maryland origin. Unfortunately, the chair's history does not survive to confirm or disprove such a theory.

Like many arm and easy chairs made in the eighteenth century, this piece doubled as a close stool chair. The original chamber pot support survives beneath the upholstered slip seat frame.