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Side Chair
Side Chair

Side Chair

Furniture Maker
Date1740-1770
MediumMaple, rush
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (overall height x width x depth): 43 1/4 x 20 13/16 x 20 11/16in. (109.9 x 52.9 x 52.5cm)
ClassificationsFurniture
Credit LineMuseum purchase
DescriptionMaple 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 each side. Centered below the crest rail is a solid, vase-shaped splat, which attaches at the bottom to the stay rail. The stay rail has molding across the front. Each stile has a molded front, consisting of a projecting semi-circle with a bead to each 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 straight leg above a backward-slanting foot. 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 that connects the front legs is turned with double-baluster-and-ring forms. Each side has one stretcher turned with double-cone-and-ring forms. The back has one plain turned stretcher. The side chair is painted black overall.

Condition: The black paint is worn off the projecting edges of the crest rail, the stay rail, the front seat corners, the front legs, and the front stretcher. The block at the top of the left leg has a nail through the front. The frame is re-painted, and the rush seat is replaced.

Designand Construction Details: The crest rail is supported by a tenon at the top of each stile; each of these joints is secured with a wooden pin. The splat is tenoned into the crest rail above and into the stay rail below. The back edges of the splat are chamfered. The stay rail is tenoned into 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 or back legs.
Object number1969.46.1
On View
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