Chair, side

Furniture

Historic Hudson Valley

Name/Title

Chair, side

Entry/Object ID

SS.63.75

Description

Chair, side: decorated "fancy chair"; painted light earth-green ground; wide slat at top, set into stiles, decorated in naturalistic colors with Romantic landscape of waterfall, with bluffs and trees at left and right (among which, at right, are palms), pool and stream at foot of falls in foreground, distant shore in background beyond falls; slightly splayed and inclined round-turned, stiles rolled over at top, and flattened to receive decoration, on face, as far down as second set of cross-rails; flattened area of stiles bears gilt outline; beneath which, ring-turnings, gilt in center; beneath scenic slat, three thin cross-rails, square section, separate but joined by two sets of three ovoid balls; beneath that, second cross-rail unit of two members separated by three ovid balls; shaped seat, caned and painted cream over white, with rounded corners, triangular corner blocks with gilt outlines, deep apron of one piece, decorated with gilt outlined central panel, 8-pointed, leaf-like, black-touched gilt star above each leg; splayed legs round-turned, with ball and ring at top, tapering toward bottom, with band of 5 rings, terminating in button foot; and decorated with gilt ball, ring, banding, and beneath ball and ring, black-touched gilt acanthus-like leaves; 2 round turned stretchers each side, one at back; 2 front stretchers, rectangular, with three ovoid balls between; apparently original seat; probably newish paint (except slat scene); on inside of apron: "ED" in pencil.

Made/Created

Artist Information

Artist

Unknown

Attribution

Maker

Date made

circa 1816

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Inscription

Transcription

See description

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Overall

Height

34-1/4 in

Width

17 in

Depth

18-3/4 in

Dimension Notes

Display Dimensions: 34 1/4 x 17 x 18 3/4 in. (87 x 43.2 x 47.6 cm)

Material

Maple, hickory (?), Pine

Condition

Notes

Overall Analysis: Restored, Sparts Bros./D.F. NY, 1961.

Relationships

Related Person or Organization

Person or Organization

Unknown

Related Entries

Notes

SS.63.83 - Chair, side - Similar item

General Notes

Note Type

Curatorial Remarks

Note

Boscobel curator Jennifer Carlquist came to Sunnyside for a research appointment and made the following observations: the skirt and legs have been repainted (maybe replaced? condition notes state this chair was restored in 1961), the chairs and painting overall very closely resemble those from George Crowninshield's Cleopatra's Barge (the 1816 yacht) in the collection of the Peabody-Essex, the painted scene on the back panel closely matches a set of chairs at Bayou Bend (either the same painter or the same print source or both); and suggested that our chairs may have had stars painted on the back beading detail although there is no evidence of that. She also debunked the original cataloging that stated that this pair may have been made in Salem. (This theory was based on the false premise that all the furnishings including fancy painted chairs for Cleopatra's Barge, a well-known luxury yacht built in Salem in 1816, were made in Salem, which is no longer thought to be true. In fact, the Peabody-Essex attributes their chairs to an unknown maker "probably New York City") [Jessa J. Krick, Collections Manager, 11/8/2016].

Note Type

General Note

Note

Adaptation of Neoclassical "Sheraton" style; painting in the Romantic style; materials include maple (slat, legs, stiles), pine (skirt), and hickory (probably) (stretchers); almost a pair with SS.63.83.

Note Type

StorageNote

Note

Home Location: Historic Hudson Valley, Sunnyside, Tower Attic