Rocking Chair
Furniture MakerProbably made by
Enfield Shaker Community
(American, 1792 - 1918)
Furniture MakerPossibly made by
Harvard Shaker Community
(American, 1791 - 1918)
Date1840-1860
MediumMaple, splint
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (overall height x width x depth): 45 7/8 x 21 7/8 x 24 3/4in. (116.5 x 55.6 x 62.9cm)
ClassificationsFurniture
Credit LineGift of Mrs. Donald G. Webster
Object number1970.21.0
DescriptionMaple rocking chair in the Shaker style, with a slat back, arms, turned stiles, legs, and stretchers, and a woven splint seat. The back of the rocking chair is formed by four horizontal slats between two cylindrical stiles; each stile has an ovoid finial at the top. Each slat has a curved upper edge and a straight bottom edge; the slats are bowed back in the center. Below the seat, each stile forms a cylindrical back leg. Each arm is curved out slightly. Above the seat, each front leg supports the arm. Each front leg has a disc-shaped handhold at the top; the arm attaches to the stile at the back and just below the handhold on the leg at the front. Each front leg is cylindrical, and narrows slightly above the seat. The woven splint seat is trapezoidal in shape. The front and both sides of the chair each have two plain turned stretchers connecting the lower portion of the legs. The back of the chair has one plain turned stretcher. Each side of the chair has a curved rocker that extends past the front leg. There is a round hole through each rocker, just ahead of the front leg.
Condition: The front legs and arm supports have numerous small gouges and scratches. The front of each rocker is well worn and scratched. The back of the left stile is burned below the second slat. The chair frame is refinished, and the splint seat is probably replaced.
Design and Construction Details: The slats are tenoned into each stile; the top slat has a wooden pin through the back of each tenon. The arms are tenoned into the stiles in the back and into the arm supports in the front. The seat rails and stretchers are tenoned into the legs. Each seat rail is bladelike, with a rounded outer edge and a tapered inner edge. Each rocker fits into a groove cut into the bottom of the legs on each side; each of these joints is secured with a screw through the bottom of the leg and the rocker. Narrow black lines circle the stiles and legs, marking the placement of the stiles, seat rails, and stretchers.
NotesHistorical Note: The Shakers, also known as Believers, or the United Society of Believers in the First and Second Appearing of Christ, were a religious sect founded by Ann Lee in the 1770s. The Shakers constructed their own furniture, either for use or for sale, that is known for its simplicity, utility, and craftsmanship.Condition: The front legs and arm supports have numerous small gouges and scratches. The front of each rocker is well worn and scratched. The back of the left stile is burned below the second slat. The chair frame is refinished, and the splint seat is probably replaced.
Design and Construction Details: The slats are tenoned into each stile; the top slat has a wooden pin through the back of each tenon. The arms are tenoned into the stiles in the back and into the arm supports in the front. The seat rails and stretchers are tenoned into the legs. Each seat rail is bladelike, with a rounded outer edge and a tapered inner edge. Each rocker fits into a groove cut into the bottom of the legs on each side; each of these joints is secured with a screw through the bottom of the leg and the rocker. Narrow black lines circle the stiles and legs, marking the placement of the stiles, seat rails, and stretchers.
Status
Not on view
