Elastic Chair
Attributed to Samuel Gragg
Boston, Massachusetts, ca. 1808
Oak, hickory, maple

On loan from a private collection
White was the color most often associated with classical art and architecture, yet mid-eighteenth-century archaeological rediscoveries of sites in Greece, Italy, and Egypt revealed a widespread use of vibrant colors in ancient times. The blue, yellow, and orange paint on this Elastic Chair is in line with classical tradition, but the eagle
is a more up-to-date American symbol.