John Shaw
Annapolis, Maryland, ca. 1802
Mahogany with tulip poplar
Catalog no. 32
Although this unusual chair is neither labeled nor signed, it is unquestionably from the shop of cabinetmaker John Shaw. Another chair from the same set retains Shaw's dated label. A prolific Annapolis furniture maker, Shaw emigrated about the age of eighteen from Glasgow to the capital of Maryland.
The splat pattern of this chair, while reminiscent of the shield and double-eagle of the Russian imperial arms, probably is Shaw's own design. It is one of the many contemporary images intended to celebrate the new American republic.