Side chair

Date1760-1780

MediumWalnut, tulip poplar, yellow pine

DimensionsOH: 37 5/8"; OW: 21 3/8"; OD: 21 1/4"

Credit LineGift of Mr. & Mrs. Joseph H. Hennage.

Object number1972-497,1

DescriptionAppearance: Splat back side chair with double ogee crest rail with molded, voluted ears and centering a carved and horizontally pierced shell; pierced vasiform splat with interlaced diamond and figure eight motif; shaped, unmolded shoe; stiles with backs rounded above seat rail, splayed slightly outward at top; trapezoidal slip seat; side and front seat rails with quarter round molding on top outside edges, undercut on bottom edges between legs; front cabriole legs, each with two shaped knee blocks, carved inverted shell on knee, and terminated in ball and claw feet with rounded, knuckled, and well-articulated talons; rear Marlborough legs chamfered on all four corners and raked toward rear.

Construction: All elements of walnut except as noted; stiles and top of splat tenoned into crest rail, stiles pinned; base of splat tenoned into shoe which is glued and nailed to rear seat rail; shoe overhangs rear seat rail on inside; front and side seat rails tenoned and pinned into front legs; side seat railed through tenoned, wedged, and pinned into rear legs; rear seat rail tenoned and pinned into rear legs; knee brackets glued to lower edge of seat rail on each side of front legs; side and front seat rails rabbeted to accept slip seat; side elements of yellow pine slip seat frame tenoned into front and rear elements; large, original, vertically oriented, three-piece, quarter round, tulip poplar blocks glued into front corners of seat frame; large original diagonal blocks glued and (rose head) nailed into rear corners of seat frame.
MarkingsNo. 1: "III" chiseled on inside of rear seat rail; G.612/A1118 painted on right rear leg near seat rail; "4" penciled on top of each rear diagonal corner block; "A1364/5-93" painted on right rear leg near seat rail.

No. 2: "II" chiseled on inside of rear seat rail; "A1364/5-93" painted on right rear leg near seat rail; illegible mark on right rear leg; "2" penciled on right rear diagonal corner block.
ProvenanceDonors acquired chairs from Israel Sack, Inc.; Sack acquired chairs from the Francis Garvan Collection at Yale University, which still retains one chair (1930.2479) from their original holding of three; chairs were acquired for the Garvan collection at the 1927 sale of the Alexander M. Hudnut Collection, New York City and Princeton, New Jersey.