Joan Barzilay Freund and Leigh Keno
The Making and Marketing of Boston Seating Furniture in the Late Baroque Style

American Furniture 1998

Full Article
Contents
  • Figure 1
    Figure 1

    Side chair, Boston, 1710–1720. Maple and oak. H. 47 1/2", W. 18", D. 14 1/2". (Private collection; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 2
    Figure 2

    Side chair, Boston, ca. 1725. Maple and oak; original leather upholstery. H. 43 3/4", W. 18 1/2", D. 15". (Private collection; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 3
    Figure 3

    Side chair, Boston, 1710–1720. Maple. H. 45 1/4", W. 17 1/2", D. 14 3/4". (Private collection; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 4
    Figure 4

    Side chair, Boston, ca. 1725. Maple. H. 43", W. 19", D. 15". (Private collection; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 5
    Figure 5

    Side chair, Britain, ca. 1725. Beech. H. 44 1/2", W. 17 3/4", D. 15 1/8". (Private collection; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 6
    Figure 6

    Side chair, Boston, ca. 1725. Maple. H. 45", W. 19", D. 15 1/2". (Courtesy, Winterthur Museum.)

  • Figure 7
    Figure 7 Backstool, Boston, ca. 1725. Maple. H. 43 1/8", W. 19 13/16", D. 16". (Private collection; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)
  • Figure 8
    Figure 8

    Side chair, Boston, ca. 1725. Maple. H. 43 3/16", W. 18 1/4", D. 14 3/4". (Private collection; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 9
    Figure 9

    Armchair, Boston, 1715–1725. Maple. H. 46", W. 23", D. 16 1/2". (Courtesy, Winterthur Museum.)

  • Figure 10
    Figure 10

    Side chair, London, 1715–1725. Beech; japanned green and gold on a red ground. H. 45 1/2", W. 21 1/2". (Courtesy, Victoria and Albert Museum.)

  • Figure 11
    Figure 11

    Easy chair, Boston, 1690–1710. Maple with pine; original foundation upholstery. H. 42". (Photo, Winterthur Museum.)

  • Figure 12
    Figure 12

    Side chair, Boston, 1690–1700. Maple and oak. H. 35 1/2", W. 18 1/2", D. 18 1/2". (Private collection; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 13
    Figure 13

    Easy chair, Boston, 1700–1710. Maple with oak. H. 50 3/4", W. 27", D. 21". (Courtesy, Winterthur Museum). The feet are worn and have lost their laminated facings.

  • Figure 14
    Figure 14

    Easy chair, Boston, ca. 1725. Maple. H. 48 1/2", W. 27 3/8", D. 21". (Courtesy, Winterthur Museum.)

  • Figure 15
    Figure 15

    Armchair, Boston, 1725–1730. Birch and cherry. H. 40 3/4", W. 22 7/8", D. 17 1/8". (Courtesy, Winterthur Museum; bequest of Dr. and Mrs. Newberry Reynolds.)

  • Figure 16
    Figure 16

    Armchair, Boston, 1725–1735. Maple. H. 43 1/4", W. 20 11/16", D. 17". (Courtesy, Winterthur Museum.)

  • Figure 17
    Figure 17

    Side chair, Boston, ca. 1730. Walnut. H. 41", W. 19 3/16", D. 15 3/4". (Private collection; photo, Gavin Ashworth.) The crest rail may be a replacement.

  • Figure 18
    Figure 18

    Elbow chair, Boston, 1725–1735. Mahogany with maple. H. 34 3/4", W. 23", D. 19". (Courtesy, Winterthur Museum.)

  • Figure 19
    Figure 19

    Abraham Redwood, II, attributed to Samuel King, Newport, 1773–1780. Oil on canvas. 42 1/2" x 33 1/2". (Collection of the Redwood Library and Atheneum, Newport.)

  • Figure 20
    Figure 20

    Armchair, Boston, ca. 1725–1730. Walnut with maple. H. 43 1/2", W. 23", D. 18 3/8". (Courtesy, Winterthur Museum.) The center stretcher is replaced.

  • Figure 21
    Figure 21

    Side chair, Boston, ca. 1725–1730. Walnut with maple. H. 40 1/4", W. 20", D. 16". (Courtesy, Winterthur Museum.)

  • Figure 22
    Figure 22

    Side chair, London, ca. 1720. Walnut with lightwood inlay. Dimensions not recorded. Illustrated in Nicholas Grindley, The Bended-Back Chair (London: Barling, 1990), no. 17.

  • Figure 23
    Figure 23

    Detail of the knee carving on the armchair illustrated in fig. 20.

  • Figure 24
    Figure 24

    Detail of the knee carving on the side chair illustrated in fig. 21.

  • Figure 25
    Figure 25

    Desk-and-bookcase, Boston, ca. 1740–1750, Unknown artist. Mahogany, oak secondary wood. H. 94", W. 41 1/4", D. 24". (Courtesy, Art Institute of Chicago, major acquisitions Centennial Fund.) The feet and one finial are replaced.

  • Figure 26
    Figure 26

    Detail of the carved appliqué on the desk-and-bookcase illustrated in fig. 25.

  • Figure 27
    Figure 27

    Side chair, Boston, ca. 1725–1730. Mahogany with maple. H. 41", W. 21 1/4". (Collection at Hunter House, Preservation Society of Newport County; photo, John W. Corbett.)

  • Figure 28
    Figure 28

    Easy chair, Boston, ca. 1730. Maple. H. 48", W. 33 3/4", D. 29". (Courtesy, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Bayou Bend Collection; gift of Miss Ima Hogg.)

  • Figure 29
    Figure 29

    Side chair, Boston, ca. 1730. Mahogany; beech slipseat frame. H. 44", W. 19", D. 21". (Courtesy, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Bayou Bend Collection; gift of Miss Ima Hogg.)

  • Figure 30
    Figure 30

    John Smibert, Mary Fitch Oliver and Andrew Oliver, Jr., Boston, 1732. Oil on canvas. 50 1/2" x 40 1/2". (Private collection; photo, Frick Art Reference Library.)

  • Figure 31
    Figure 31

    John Smibert, detail of a study for The Bermuda Group, ca. 1729. Oil on canvas. 69 1/2" x 93". (Courtesy, National Gallery of Ireland.)

  • Figure 32
    Figure 32

    Backstool from the shop of Thomas Roberts, London, 1728. Walnut. H. 41", W. 23 1/2", D. 25". (Courtesy, Christie’s.)

  • Figure 33
    Figure 33

    Backstool, Boston, ca. 1730. Walnut with maple and beech. H. 40", W. 21", D. 25". (Chipstone Foundation; photo, Gavin Ashworth.) The backstool originally had silk upholstery.

  • Figure 34
    Figure 34

    Easy chair, Boston, 1730–1740. Walnut with maple. H. 49". (Courtesy G. W. Samaha Antiques, Milan, Ohio; photo Jeffery Dykes.)

  • Figure 35
    Figure 35

    Detail of the seat rail and front leg joint of the backstool shown in fig. 33. (Photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 36
    Figure 36

    Side chair, Boston, ca. 1735. Walnut and walnut veneer with maple and white pine. H. 38 5/8", W. 20 3/4", D. 18 1/2". (Courtesy, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Ginsburg, 1984 (1984.21) photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 37
    Figure 37

    Side chair, London, 1725–1735. Walnut and walnut veneer. (Courtesy, Sotheby’s.)

  • Figure 38
    Figure 38

    Easy chair, Boston, ca. 1735–1740. Walnut and maple. H. 44", W. 31", D. 22". (Courtesy, Winterthur Museum.)    

  • Figure 39
    Figure 39

    Side chair, Boston, 1735–1755. Walnut. H. 38 7/8", W. 19 3/4", D. 16 1/4". (Courtesy, Winterthur Museum.)

  • Figure 40
    Figure 40

    Side chair, Boston, 1735–1755. Walnut with maple. H. 39 5/8", W. 21 3/4", D. 21 1/4". (Courtesy, Winterthur Museum; gift of Mr. & Mrs. George M. Kaufman, Martin E. Wunsch, and anonymous donor.)

  • Figure 41
    Figure 41

    Side chair, Boston, 1730–1740. Walnut. H. 41 3/4", W. 20 1/2", D. 20". Illustrated in Anderson Galleries, Colonial Furniture, the Superb Collection of Mr. Francis Hill Bigelow of Cambridge, Massachusetts, New York, January 17, 1924, lot. 142.

  • Figure 42
    Figure 42

    Side chair, Boston, 1740–1750. Walnut; maple slip seat. H. 40 1/2", W. 21 3/4". (Courtesy, Moses Brown School.)

  • Figure 43
    Figure 43

    Side chair, Boston, 1740–1755. Mahogany; maple slip seat. H. 38 1/2", W. 22", D. 21 1/4". (Chipstone Foundation; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 44
    Figure 44

    Side chair, Boston, 1735–1750. Walnut. H. 40 3/4", W. 20 5/8", D. 17 3/4". (Private collection; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 45
    Figure 45

    Side chair, Boston, 1735–1745. Walnut. H. 40 3/4". (Courtesy, Wayne Pratt Antiques.)

  • Figure 46
    Figure 46

    Side chair, Boston, 1735–1745. Walnut; maple slipseat frame. H. 40 7/8", W. 21 1/16", D. 17 1/8". (Courtesy, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; gift of Miss Dorothy Buhler.)

  • Figure 47
    Figure 47

    John Singleton Copley, John Barrett, 1758. Oil on canvas. 50" x 40". (Courtesy, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri; gift of the Enid and Crosby Kemper Foundation F76-52; photo, Jamison Miller)

  • Figure 48
    Figure 48

    Side chair, Boston, 1740–1750. Walnut. H. 40 1/4", W. 20 3/4", D. 24". (Private collection; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 49
    Figure 49

    Easy chair by Clement Vincent or George Bright with upholstery by Samuel Grant, Boston, 1759. Walnut and maple with maple and white pine. H. 46 1/8", W. 33 7/8", D. 21 3/4". (Courtesy, Historic New England/SPNEA; photo, Richard Cheek.) The front feet are replaced.

  • Figure 50
    Figure 50

    Easy chair, Boston, 1735–1755. Walnut with maple. H. 48", W. 32". (Courtesy, Leigh Keno American Antiques.)

  • Figure 51
    Figure 51

    Easy chair, Boston, ca. 1758. Walnut and maple with maple. H. 46 3/8", W. 32 3/8", D. 25 7/8". (Courtesy, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. J. Insley Blair 1950 (50.228.3) Photograph ©The Metropolitan Museum of Art.)

  • Figure 52
    Figure 52

    Side chair, Boston, 1735–1745. Walnut. Dimensions unrecorded. Illustrated in Anderson Art Galleries, Philip Flayderman Collection, January 4, 1930, lot 492.

  • Figure 53
    Figure 53

    Easy chair, Boston, 1735–1745. Walnut. Dimensions unrecorded. Illustrated in Anderson Art Galleries, Philip Flayderman Collection, January 4, 1930, lot 493.

  • Figure 54
    Figure 54

    Robert Feke (1706/1707–1752), John Banister, 1748. Oil on canvas. 50 9/16" x 40 9/16". (Courtesy, Toledo Museum of Art.)