Side Chair (one of a pair)

CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Side Chair (one of a pair)
Datec. 1785–1820
Made inNew York , New York, United States
MediumMahogany and holly; ash
Dimensions36 × 21 1/8 × 20 1/2 in. (91.4 × 53.7 × 52.1 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, museum purchase funded by the Theta Charity Antiques Show
Object numberB.92.11.1
Current Location
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Bayou Bend Dining Room
On view

Explore Further

Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
Description

These side chairs introduce another variation on the New York square-back design. In this instance the pattern has been skillfully interpreted by a craftsman such as Benjamin Atkinson, an “inlayer and cabinet-maker,” or else it represents a collaboration between a chairmaker and inlayer. The inlays, accentuated by darkened incising, produce an arresting effect, presenting greater contrast and definition than is readily apparent in the carved version. Interpretations of the same design by a carver and by an inlayer are highly unusual and indicative of the profound contributions made by specialist craftsmen.

Technical notes: Mahogany, holly (inlays); ash (seat rails). The construction follows that of B.64.9.1–.4. The medial braces have been removed. Only the rear, rounded, two-part corner blocks remain.

Related examples: Antiques 28 (October 1935), p. 164; Hipkiss 1941, pp. 170–71, no. 108; Garrett 1977, p. 996. Variations in the crest rail are recorded, some plain, others suggesting an archway: Montgomery 1966b, p. 111, no. 59; Flanigan 1986, pp. 122–23, no. 42; Monkhouse and Michie 1986, pp. 179–80, no. 122; Zimmerman 1997, pp. 721, 723. In addition to being fashioned with carving or inlays, this pattern was also articulated with ornamental painting: Elder and Stokes 1987, pp. 43–45.

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[F. J. Carey III, Pennlyn, Pennsylvania]; purchased by MFAH, 1992.
Exhibition HistoryMuseum purchase from a dealer exhibiting at The Theta Charity Antique Show in Houston

"Theta Antique Show" at the Reliant Astrohall, September 11–15, 2002.


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.

Side Chair (one of a pair)
c. 1785–1820
Mahogany and holly; ash
B.92.11.2
Square Piano
Gibson & Davis
c. 1810–1815
Painted and gilded mahogany, mahogany veneer, satinwood, soft maple, and holly; yellow-poplar, holly, beech, basswood, cherry, soft maple, eastern white pine, hemlock, mahogany, and ash
B.57.4
Dressing Box
Thomas Natt
c. 1825–1835
Mahogany; eastern white pine, holly, yellow-poplar, brass, and mirror glass
B.94.8
Brooch
1853
White glass, 9k yellow gold, pearls, hair, and glass
2005.1817
Square Sofa
c. 1790–1820
Mahogany; eastern white pine, spruce, and birch
B.56.172
Pair of Side Chairs
Crawford Riddell
c. 1844
Rosewood; ash
B.2000.5.1,.2
Pair of Card Tables
c. 1795–1810
West Indian satinwood, East Indian satinwood, mahogany, ebony, dyed holly or boxwood; white pine, birch, mahogany
B.2004.1.1,.2
Set of Six Side Chairs
c. 1830–1850
Mahogany; chestnut
B.2007.3.1-.6
Side Chair (one of a set of six)
c. 1830–1850
Mahogany; chestnut
B.2007.3.4
Side Chair (one of a set of six)
c. 1830–1850
Mahogany with chestnut
B.2007.3.5
Sketch of a Gentleman (George, Prince of Wales)
Mather Brown
c. 1783–1819
Oil on canvas
94.1184