Overall Condition
FairNotes
worm damage,paint is chipped , gilt is worn,some restoration of cane was done, others have have severe damage.
See detailed condition reports.Overall Condition
FairNotes
Description: The suite of five English fancy painted chairs ca. 1800, has an Allston family history. The chairs have turned and tapering front legs, curving arms which connect to the tops of the legs, a turned crest rail which suppports a small plaque with a graisaille-painted neo-classical scene, and a splat consisting of four overlapping ring forms. They are painted black with gold pinstriping on the rails, stiles and arms. THe ring turnings on the front legs are also picked out in gold, as is the surrounding edge of the center plaque. The seats are caned.
General Condition: All chairs are generally in sound condition, expect for some with minor areas of loose joinery. The chairs with structural condition problems are described below. All chairs have evidence of insect damage, no longer active, which vaires in degrees of severity from chair to chair. The chairs were originally painted black with burnished gilt decoration. Two have been stripped and repainted black with pinstriping in gold paint ( A & B), and three have been rpainted over the remnants of the earlier paint treatment (C, D, and E).
Specific Condition Notes: The chairs have been labelled A,B,C,D,E, in pencil on the interior furface of the rear rail. Ref. to location are denoted PL(proper left) and PR ( proper right)
Chair A': THe joinery is sound throughout. There is considerable insect damage in several areas, including the PL front arm support, both side rails and rear rail, on the bottom of the PR rear foot, and on top of the PL stile where it meets the crest rail. There has been some replacement of the original wood, including the top of the PR side rail and possibly the PL arm. There is a stamp on the bottom of the rear rail which is unintelligible. This chair has been stripped and repainted in black. The paint is generally stable, but there is flaking occuring on the grisaille painted panel and underneath the PR side rail.
Chair B- Joinery is stable. There is insect damage on the crest rail and on the PR arm. Replace elements include the rear rail and the PL arm. The cane seat has split along the PR side rail. The chair was stripped before repainting.
Chair C: The joinery of this chair is stable and there is no insect damage evident. A chamfer has
been cut into the back of the PL stile.There is evidence of earlier black paint underneath the most rcent layer, which appears to have been applied either more recently or has been stored in a place protected from light because it is glossier than the paint on the other chairs. The most recent paint is flaking from all surfaces, especially from the insides of the front legs.
Chair D: The joinery is sound. THere is a break in the upper horizontal memberof the splat below the central plaque and a vertical split in the plaque itself. Replaced elemejts include the rear rail and 6" of th PR front foot. There is insect damage on the outer surface of the PL arm support and where the PR arm joins the stile. There appears to be a considerable amont of the original surface beneath the present black paint. The present paint is flaking in numerous areas, including the insides of the front legs.
Chair E: The joinery of the crest rail is loose, and there is a horizontal split through the center plaque. Insect damage is evident on the PR arm and on the PL rear leg. The cane seat has broken along the PL side and rear rails. There is evidence of earlier blak paint and gilding underneath the present paint layer. There is flaking paint on all surfaces.