Unknown Chinese
Armchair

Public Domain

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Images(2)

Maker Unknown Chinese

CultureChinese

Titles

Armchair

Datec. 1800–1825

Made inChina , Asia

MediumBamboo and cane

Dimensions35 1/4 × 20 1/2 × 20 1/2 in. (89.5 × 52.1 × 52.1 cm)

Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Eleanor Freed

Object numberB.82.23

Current Location

Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens

Music Room

On view

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Department

Bayou Bend

Object Type

FURNITURE

DescriptionColonial American trade with China was restricted by British trade laws and monopolies that favored British ships and merchants. Soon after the end of the Revolutionary War, American traders began direct commerce with China, bringing desirable products such as porcelain, tea, and silk. By the early 1800s, demand grew for Chinese furniture as well, much of it made of lightweight but sturdy bamboo. This example represents the most popular type of bamboo chair of the time.
ProvenanceFlorence and Richard T. Crane, Jr., Castle Hill, Ipswich, Massachusetts; [Estate of Florence H. Crane, Parke Bernet Galleries, New York, sale 1175, June 29–July 1, 1950, lot 279]; purchased by Esther Loveman Kempner; given to her daughter Eleanor Freed Stern, Houston; given to MFAH, 1982.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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