Six Dining Chairs Descended in the Vanderhorst Family
Entry/Object ID
L.93.2.1-6
Description
Chairs, set of six
Charleston
1800/1810
Mahogany with yellow pine and ash
Descended in the Vanderhorst Family
Six of a set of twelve; 5 sides and 1 arm
having molded square back with center tablet having 13 arches, back divided into five arched Gothic panels by four round reeded columns terminating at top with fan-shaped capitol and at base with rectangular plinth; shaped and bowed seat upholstered over-the-rail and finished with brass tacks, on square and tapered legs and spade foot; underside has 4 corner braces
Design Source Is Apparently the New York Book of Prices For Cabinet and Chair Work For 1802.
Chairs had blue upholstery when they were received in 1993.
Tradition has it that they were lent to St. Michael's by the Vanderhorst family for the occasion of Washington's visit to Charleston in 1790 or 91. Dates at odds.
Six other chairs in the set owned by MESDA.
Four displayed in Dining Room, other two stored in NR 301.
Collection
Historic Charleston Foundation Collection
Made/Created
Date made
1800 - 1810
Time Period
Neoclassical
Place
City
Charleston
State/Province
South Carolina
Country
United States of America
Lexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Primary Object Term
Chair
Nomenclature Sub-Class
Seating Furniture
Nomenclature Class
Furniture
Nomenclature Category
Category 02: Furnishings
Other Names and Numbers
Other Numbers
Number Type
Other Number
Other Number
1204
Dimensions
Height
35-1/2 in
Width
21 in
Depth
17-1/2 in
Dimension Notes
Above dimensions are for side Chair.
Location
Location
Room
103
Building
Nathaniel Russell House
Category
Permanent
Date
March 31, 2023
Location
Room
103
Building
Nathaniel Russell House
Date
December 17, 2002
Location
Building
Outgoing Loan
Moved By
Jill Beute Koverman
Date
February 21, 2002
Notes
Until: / /
Condition
Overall Condition
Good
Notes
Good, have been restored; 2 corner braces have been replaced
Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Vanderhorst, Arnoldus
Provenance
Notes
From (book):
Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts. "The regional arts of the early South: a sampling from the collection of the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts"/John Bivins and Forsyth Alexader. Copyright 1991 by Old Salem.
Similar piece p. 106:
Made of mahogany, with yellow pine corner braces and an ash seat, this Neoclassical armchair is one of a set of twelve or more dining chairs, six of which are in the MESDA collection. A similar chair is described in 'The New York Book of Prices for Cabinet and Chair Work" for 1802: Square Back Chair. No.III With four gothic arches, and four turned columns, sweep stay, and top rail, with a brake in ditto; plain taper'd legs." Several New York examples in various collections have been attributed to the shop of partners Abraham Slover and Jacob Taylor, who worked in New York City from 1802 to 1805. This armchair resembles these New York products, but it lacks their four corner rosettes and its upper panerl is carved wiht thirteen flutes rather than the sunbursts and swags popular in the North. These chairs are also shorter than their New York counterparts.
Exhibition
16
General Notes
Note
Notes: Conservation photographs, taken by David Beckford September 2002, in file.
Re-upholstered by Barry Barlow of Delaware with black horsehair and gilded brass tacks.
Status: OK
Location Details1: 1
