Seated Woman

DateProbably ca. 1865

OriginAmerica, Pennsylvania, Ephrata area (possibly)

MediumPainted wood (pine)

DimensionsOverall: 12 x 6 x 5in. (30.5 x 15.2 x 12.7cm)

Credit LineFrom the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Collection; Gift of David Rockefeller

Object number1931.701.3

DescriptionA painted woodcarving depicting a woman seated in a side chair, both arms slightly raised, her proper left forearm being missing. She wears a low-necked black dress with variously colored trim, or borders.
Label TextThe carving may represent a woman grooming herself, but whether it was part of a larger vignette or had additional elements is unknown. The conspicuous red paint used to denote rouge on the woman's face, her alluring and meticulously carved hair, her white stockings and red garters (which are immodestly and teasingly revealed beneath her dress), and the pattern on the dress below her waist (which traces her derriere) all suggest that the sculpture was intended to be provocative. Its creation and survival during a period of generally strict moral standards indicates that it probably was created for personal enjoyment, not public display.
ProvenanceFound near Ephrata, Penn., and purchased by Edith Gregor Halpert, Downtown Gallery, New York, NY; purchased from Halpert by Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr., in 1931; given to the Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, by Rockefeller in 1939; transferred from the MoMA to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, in 1949; purchased from the Metropolitan Museum of Art by David Rockefeller and given by him to CWF in 1955.