Side Chair
Furniture MakerMade by
Unknown
Date1740-1770
MediumMaple or cherry, rush
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (overall height x width x depth): 42 3/16 x 19 1/2 x 18 5/8in. (107.2 x 49.5 x 47.3cm)
ClassificationsFurniture
Credit LineIn memory of Elizabeth Noble Anderson
Object number1971.35.2
DescriptionMaple or cherry side chair in the Queen Anne, or late baroque style, with a yoke-shaped crest rail, a vase-shaped splat, turned stretchers and front legs, and a rush seat. The back of the chair is formed by a yoke-shaped crest rail atop two stiles. The crest rail bows down in the center and has a beveled ridge at either side. Centered below the crest rail is a solid, vase-shaped splat, which attaches at the bottom to the stay rail. The bottom front edge of the stay rail is molded with a cyma curve, or S-curve. Each stile has a molded front, consisting of a projecting semi-circle with a bead to either side; this molding extends from the arched sides of the crest rail down to just below the back seat rail. Above the seat, each stile angles backward. Below the seat, each stile forms a leg that slants back slightly. Each front leg is turned with a sequence of baluster, block, baluster, block, over a Spanish foot. Above the top turned baluster, each front leg has a block that supports the rails of the rush seat, which is trapezoidal in shape. The front stretcher connecting the front legs is turned with double-baluster-and-ring forms. Both sides and the back each have a plain stretcher turned with a double-baluster form.
Condition: The splat has been inverted. The front feet are replaced. The block at the top of the left front leg is repaired. A nail reinforces the joint where the left seat rail joins the stile. The frame is refinished, and the rush seat is replaced.
Design and Construction Details: The crest rail is supported by tenons at the top of each stile; each of these joints is secured with a wooden pin. The splat is tenoned to the crest rail above and to the stay rail below. The back edges of the splat are chamfered. The stay rail is tenoned and pinned to each stile. Each seat rail is bladelike, with a rounded outer edge and a tapered inner edge. The seat rails have round tenons that extend into stiles at the back, and into the separate block at the top of each leg in the front. The stretchers have round tenons that extend into the front and back legs.
Condition: The splat has been inverted. The front feet are replaced. The block at the top of the left front leg is repaired. A nail reinforces the joint where the left seat rail joins the stile. The frame is refinished, and the rush seat is replaced.
Design and Construction Details: The crest rail is supported by tenons at the top of each stile; each of these joints is secured with a wooden pin. The splat is tenoned to the crest rail above and to the stay rail below. The back edges of the splat are chamfered. The stay rail is tenoned and pinned to each stile. Each seat rail is bladelike, with a rounded outer edge and a tapered inner edge. The seat rails have round tenons that extend into stiles at the back, and into the separate block at the top of each leg in the front. The stretchers have round tenons that extend into the front and back legs.
Status
Not on view
