During the early 1800s, the design of much American furniture drew heavily on ancient Greek and Roman influences. As those influences waned in the second quarter of the century, interest grew in other historical eras, including the Gothic. Pointed arches and trefoil and quatrefoil motifs were common elements of the style. This back of this side chair is formed as a pointed arch that encloses further pointed arches enriched with carved cusps supported on slender columns.

According to tradition, the chairs were part of a suite of bedroom furniture commissioned in 1844 by a group of Henry Clay’s friends to celebrate his election as President of the United States. After Clay lost, Daniel Turnbull purchased the furniture for his home at the Rosedown plantation near St. Francisville, Louisiana. At its height, Rosedown encompassed over 3,400 acres. Its primary crop, cotton, as well as its extensive ornamental garden, relied on the labor of an enslaved workforce.