Images(2)

Backstool (Side Chair)

Date1720-1730

OriginEngland

MediumWalnut, beech, gesso and gilt

DimensionsOH:41 1/2";OW:22 1/4";OD:20 1/4"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1936-314,2

DescriptionSide, backstool chair Walnut, Beech; rectangular stuffed back with rounded upper corner; "square" seat with rounded front corners upholstered over seat rail; cabriole front legs outlined wiht molded C-scrolls and terminating in pad feet; shallow carved, gesso and gilt shell with pendant bellflower on each knee. Cabriole rear legs terminating in pad feet.

Woods: Primary: walnut; Secondary: seat and back frames, beech
Label TextDue to the high cost of labor and textiles in the 18th century, the upholstery on this backstool (or fully upholstered side chair) likely cost its first owner more than the carved walnut frame. The choice of upholstery fabric—silk rather than worsted wool, for example—could push the expense even higher. And since chairs were commonly made in matching suites of six or twelve, the total investment was significant.

This chair’s original upholstery does not survive, but its precise shapes and contours were deduced from a study of the nail holes on the frame. They have been faithfully reproduced and covered with an appropriate reproduction damask. To learn more about historic upholstery, visit the Upholstery CSI exhibition.
MarkingsNone found