Side Chair

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Side Chair

Artist United States, Pennsylvania Colony, Philadelphia American

Dateabout 1735-1745

DimensionsH: 40 in. (101.5 cm); W: 21 1/2 in. (54.5 cm); Depth: 16 3/4 in. (42.5 cm)

MediumWalnut and pine

ClassificationFurniture

Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. George P. MacNichol, Jr.

Object number

1986.13

Not on View

Collections

Decorative Arts

Label TextThe elegant curves, harmonious form, and restrained ornament of this Philadelphia-made side chair are hallmarks of the Queen Anne style that was fashionable in the American Colonies from the 1720s into the 1760s, when the Rococo Chippendale style gained prominence. The Queen Anne style was named for the Stuart queen of England who reigned 1702–1714, during the Late Baroque era. The chair features a so-called fiddle-form splat (the upright panel that supports the chair back) that curves gently back for greater comfort. Rather than the intricate pierced carving of the later Chippendale style (see the chair attributed to Thomas Affleck nearby), the furniture maker here made use of the beauty of the walnut woodgrain itself to decorative effect.