Roundabout Chair

CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Roundabout Chair
Datec. 1750–1810
Made inUnited States
MediumBlack cherry; black cherry, and eastern white pine
Dimensions44 5/8 × 32 × 30 1/2 in. (113.3 × 81.3 × 77.5 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Miss Ima Hogg
Object numberB.69.143
Non exposé

Explore Further

Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
Description

This extraordinary roundabout is a spirited maverick exuding the individuality and vitality that distinguishes the very best rural cabinetry. It delights the eye with such idiosyncrasies as the undulating knee brackets, the graduated series of incised arcs on the seat rail, and the diminutive banister supports on the headrest. Contrasting with this imaginative design is the attachment of the battens to the inner seat frame to secure a commode, a common function of roundabout chairs.

Technical notes: Black cherry; black cherry (slip seat), eastern white pine (corner blocks). The legs are channeled from the bottom, the overlapping stretchers slid in, and the exposed channel plugged. The rear seat rails are incised in the same manner as the front rails. The shoes are integral with the rear seat rails. The seat rails are secured with triangular corner blocks. Framing strips are attached at the bottom of the seat rails and along the corner blocks. The two arms abut in the center. The seat retains its original upholstery foundation and a nineteenth-century horsehair and Berlinwork cover.

Related examples: The roundabout appears to be unique; its closest affinity is with a group of Essex County, Massachusetts, chairs illustrated in Jobe and Kaye 1984, pp. 414–16, no. 125.

Book excerpt: David B. Warren, Michael K. Brown, Elizabeth Ann Coleman, and Emily Ballew Neff. American Decorative Arts and Paintings in the Bayou Bend Collection. Houston: Princeton Univ. Press, 1998.


Provenance[Israel Sack, New York] [1]; purchased by Miss Ima Hogg, 1946.

[1] Sack noted it came from the Reed family of Woodstock, Vermont.

Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
[no inscriptions]
[no marks]

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

Tall Clock
Edward Spalding
c. 1765–1785
Mahogany; chestnut, white oak, black cherry, eastern white pine, southern yellow pine, and cherry
B.59.83
Desk
c. 1700–1730
Black walnut, undetermined burl veneer, and eastern white pine; eastern white pine, black walnut, yellow-poplar, cherry, Cuban oyster wood (Gymnanthes lucida), and chestnut
B.69.42
Card Table
c. 1820–1830
Grained, painted, and gilded mahogany, and birch; mahogany veneer on eastern white pine with black walnut banding, ash, eastern white pine, cherry, and original brass casters
B.68.31
High Chest of Drawers
c. 1750–1780
Black-mangrove; black cherry, Atlantic white cedar, black walnut, yelow-poplar, and eastern white pine
B.69.64
Stand
c. 1785–1850
Black cherry and unidentified inlay; eastern white pine and cherry
B.69.373
Side Chair (one of a pair)
c. 1750–1800
Mahogany and red gum; black cherry, eastern white pine, and Atlantic white cedar
B.69.23.2
Side Chair (one of a pair)
c. 1750–1800
Mahogany and red gum; black cherry, eastern white pine, and Atlantic white cedar
B.69.23.1
Image of B.60.37.2, representative of set
c. 1785–1820
Mahogany; eastern white pine, ash, red oak, sweetgum, and black cherry
B.60.37.2
Image of B.60.37.2, representative of set
c. 1785–1820
Mahogany; eastern white pine, ash, red oak, sweetgum, and black cherry
B.60.37.3
Image of B.60.37.2, representative of set
c. 1785–1820
Mahogany; eastern white pine, ash, red oak, sweetgum, and black cherry
B.60.37.4
Side Chair
c. 1785–1820
Mahogany; with ash, black cherry, eastern white pine
B.64.9.1
Side Chair
c. 1785–1820
Mahogany; with ash, black cherry, eastern white pine
B.64.9.2