1954.0523 Chair, view 1
  • 1954.0523 Chair, view 1
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Chair (Side chair)

  • Category:

    Furniture

  • Creator (Role):

    Unknown (Furniture maker)

  • Place of Origin:

    Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, New England, United States, North America

  • Date:

    1730-1765

  • Materials:

    Walnut, black; Maple, soft; Leather

  • Museum Object Number:

    1954.0523


  • Complete Details



Object Number

1954.0523

Object Name

Chair (Side chair)

Category

Furniture

Credit Line/Donor

Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont

Creator (Role)

Unknown (Furniture maker)
This record is to be used when the maker of an object is unknown.

Place of Origin

Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, New England, United States, North America

Date

1730-1765

Materials

Walnut, black; Maple, soft; Leather

Dimensions (inches)

40 (H) , 21.625 (W) , 19.875 (D)

Dimensions (centimeters)

101.6 (H) , 54.928 (W) , 50.483 (D)

Measurement Notes

OW and OD at feet. H (seat) 16.875 in. (42.9 cm); W (crest) 14.75 in. (37.5 cm); W (seat front) 20.688 in. (52.5 cm); W (seat back) 15 in. (38.1 cm); D (seat) 17 in. (43.1 cm).

Object Description

Web - 01/23/2019

Queen Anne-style, splat-back side chair made of black walnut with soft maple group constituting the loose seat frame, medium brown color in resin, and modern brown leather upholstery. The chair back is rectangular with a yoke crest, a vase-shaped splat, and rounded shoulders. The crest is supported on rectangular tenons at the flat-faced, contoured stile tops and splat. The splat is rounded at the edges, front to back, and tenoned into the shoe, which is hollow on the front and sides and nailed to the back rail. The rear corners are chamfered from crest to seat. The side stiles are tapered towards the top, flat on front and chamfered on the back corners. The frame of the compass-shaped seat is rounded on the front top edge and shaped with flat arches on the bottom of the frame???s front and sides. An inner lip supports the loose-seat frame. A slip seat covered with brown leather upholstery sits in the frame. The seat rails are joined to the posts and front leg extensions with rectangular tenons. The rear legs are chamfered on all corners between the seat and the rear stretcher. The feet are rounded on the front and chamfered on the front corners. Bracing the four legs are stretchers in a box shape; the back stretcher set a few inches above the front and side stretchers and the front stretcher recessed from the front, connected to the block turnings on the side stretchers. The front and back stretchers are centrally swelled with conical ends. The side stretchers are block-turned at either end, with conical embellishment towards the front and with ring turnings. The front legs are cabriole and terminate in pad feet; the back legs are squared, cant backward, and have chamfered corners. According to Evans and Richards, as of 1997, the crest ends have glued and patched age cracks. The left knee brackets are chipped at the upper front corner and there has been regluing of some elements. The right, front foot has chipped. The medial and rear stretchers are damaged. The original loose-seat frame has been reinforced with rails added to the inside of the frame. The seat retains its old webbing and linen sacking. According to the Winterthur object record, between 1930 and 1960, the slip seat was reupholstered with brown leather.

Bibliography and Bibliographic Notes

[Book] Richards, Nancy E. & Evans, Nancy Goyne. 1997 New England Furniture at Winterthur: Queen Anne and Chippendale Periods.
Published: cat. no. 7, pp. 14-15.
[Book] Downs, Joseph & du Pont, Henry Francis. 1952 American Furniture: Queen Anne and Chippendale Periods, in the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum.
Published: fig. 155.
[Book] Forman, Benno M. 1988 American Seating Furniture, 1630-1730: An Interpretive Catalog.
Published: fig. 156, p. 287.