Side Chair
Furniture MakerMade by
Amos Denison Allen
(American, 1774 - 1855)
Date1795-1810
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (overall height x width x depth): 35 5/8 x 18 3/8 x 18 1/4in. (90.5 x 46.7 x 46.4cm)
ClassificationsFurniture
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Object number1982.18.0.2
DescriptionSide chair in the Windsor style, with a bow-back, a plank seat, and bamboo turned legs and stretchers. The bow-back consists of a bow, or wooden loop, that is joined at either end to the plank seat and encloses eight slender swelled spindles of varying height that conform to the shape of the loop. The bow has a flat face and beaded edges. The swelled spindles have a bulge in the lower third and are tapered up to the top. The bow and spindles are slanted back; the spindles are joined to the seat in a semi-circular arrangement. The plank seat has a contoured upper surface with a flat surface at the back where the bow-back joins the seat. The sides of the plank are curved and chamfered, or cut at an angle. Below the seat are four turned legs that are raked, or slanted out from top to bottom; each leg is turned with bamboo-style forms and a short tapered ankle and foot. Each side of the chair has a stretcher that connects the lower legs. Between the stretchers is a single medial stretcher, also turned with a bamboo-style form.
Condition: The top front edge of the plank seat has several small chips and gouges in the finish. Small nails have been inserted through each joint where the four center spindles are tenoned up into the bow. A diamond-shaped patch is inserted into the spindle platform, between two spindles. The lower edge of the front left foot has been repaired. A white substance, possibly paint, is adhered to the left side of the bow. The chair is refinished.
Design and Construction Details: The top of the four center spindles are tenoned up through the bow; the remaining spindles are just tenoned up into the bow. The bow and each spindle are tenoned down into the spindle platform; the ends of the bow are tenoned through the plank. The seat is constructed of a solid plank of wood and supported on a tenon at the top of each leg. The side stretchers are tenoned into the lower legs. The medial stretcher is tenoned into the side stretchers. All the tenons are inserted at an angle, where necessary, to give the proper slant to the bow and each of the spindles and legs. All the through tenons have a narrow wedge inserted into the end of the tenon.
Condition: The top front edge of the plank seat has several small chips and gouges in the finish. Small nails have been inserted through each joint where the four center spindles are tenoned up into the bow. A diamond-shaped patch is inserted into the spindle platform, between two spindles. The lower edge of the front left foot has been repaired. A white substance, possibly paint, is adhered to the left side of the bow. The chair is refinished.
Design and Construction Details: The top of the four center spindles are tenoned up through the bow; the remaining spindles are just tenoned up into the bow. The bow and each spindle are tenoned down into the spindle platform; the ends of the bow are tenoned through the plank. The seat is constructed of a solid plank of wood and supported on a tenon at the top of each leg. The side stretchers are tenoned into the lower legs. The medial stretcher is tenoned into the side stretchers. All the tenons are inserted at an angle, where necessary, to give the proper slant to the bow and each of the spindles and legs. All the through tenons have a narrow wedge inserted into the end of the tenon.
Status
On view
