Name/Title
ChairEntry/Object ID
2003.001.001Description
One of a pair of classical carved mahogany lyre-back side chairs.
The bowed tablet crest above a lyre-form splat and trapezoidal slipseat, on waterleaf-carved sabre legs with hairy paw feet.Context
Owned by Nathaniel Russell Middleton and descended to his daughter Miss Alicia Hopton Middleton of Hey Bonnie Hall, Bristol, Rhode Island.Collection
Historic Charleston Foundation CollectionAcquisition
Accession
2003.001.Source or Donor
PurchaseAcquisition Method
PurchasedCredit Line
Museum Acquisitions FundsMade/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Phyfe, Duncan, 1768-1854Attribution
Attributed toManufacturer
New YorkDate made
1815 - 1825Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
LabelNotes
Bears an old white label with red trim, "[MA]RK A. D'WOLF. The letters MA have been torn away.Lexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Primary Object Term
ChairNomenclature Sub-Class
Seating FurnitureNomenclature Class
FurnitureNomenclature Category
Category 02: FurnishingsSearch Terms
Chairs, FurnitureDimensions
Height
32-3/4 inWidth
20 inDepth
18 inLength
23-1/4 inMaterial
Mahogany, Gilding, FabricLocation
Location
Room
203Building
Nathaniel Russell HouseCategory
PermanentDate
February 7, 2023Location
Room
203Building
Nathaniel Russell HouseCategory
PermanentMoved By
SJDate
July 27, 2004Condition
Notes
gilding was restored/touched-up by Alan AndersenRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Middleton, Alicia HoptonPerson or Organization
Middleton, Nathaniel RussellRelated Entries
Notes
2002.002.003, 2002.002.004, 2003.001.002, L.2002.001.001Related Publications
Notes
"Life in Carolina and New England"
opposite pg. 98, Hey Bonnie Hall Drawing Room
Pair of lyre-back chiars with hairy-paws and two small seascape paintings on the mantle.Provenance
Notes
Collected By: Israel Sack
Last Owner: Miss Alicia Hopton Middleton
Nathaniel Russell Middleton, to his daughter Miss Alicia Hopton Middleton of Hey Bonnie Hall, Bristol, Rhode Island, then given to Mark A. DeWolf.
Purchased at Christie's Auction House, New York, January 16-17, 2003 sale #1189, Lot Number 494.
Provenance, Israel Sack, Inc., New York City.Research Notes
Research Type
Auction House NotesNotes
From Christie's Lot Notes: "Reflecting the young United States democratic ideals, the furniture of the early 19th century was inspired by classical Greco-Roman motifs. The lyre-back chairs offered here, with their reeded stiles and seat rails miming the Greek klismos and their natural legs and backwards-flowing fur reflecting a Roman style, are a paradigm of this trend. Although other craftsmen were producing similar chairs during this period, the high quality of carving of these chairs indicate the work of Duncan Phyfe. A sketch attributed to Phyfe that was attached to a bill dated 1816 to Charles N. Bancker of Philadelphia illustrates the earliest American design of a lyre-back chair with tablet. Additional support of the Phyfe attribution can be found in the 1816-1817 watercolor painted by John Ruben Smith, where two women in Duncan Phyfe's New York City shop and warehouse admire two lyre-back chairs such as these."General Notes
Note
Display Value: Excellent
Notes: High quality digital photograph taken by Rick Rhodes, on CD as TIF file, 300 pixels. Seven 35 mm color slides, also taken by Rick Rhodes, in file. September 2003.
Auction Notes, "Maine Antique Digest" March 2003. See file, "Pair of Classical carved mahogany lyre-back side chairs attributed to Duncan Phyfe, New York, 1815-25, with an Israel Sack provenance, $19,120 (est. $20,000/40,000).Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
April 22, 2003Updated By
sferguson@historiccharleston.orgUpdate Date
May 24, 2023