Side chair

1750-1765

Measurements

39 5/8 in x 20 5/8 in x 19 1/2 in

Materials

Walnut; hard pine slip seat

Credit Line

Historic Odessa Foundation, gift of H. Rodney Sharp

Accession Number

1958.3236

Condition Notes

The original slip seat to this chair is upholstered in blue.  The slip seat upholstered in red is a replacement.

Provenance

Ex coll. H. Rodney Sharp

Comments

The serpentine-shaped crest rail with rounded, projecting ears most clearly indicates the timeframe for this chair.  The S-shaped, popularly called spooned, back ties this chair to relatively earlier decades.  The splat is a variant of a Philadelphia design that remained in use for many decades—from the 1730s until near the end of the century, as did the cabriole front legs ending in some form of “plain” foot.  These feet, popularly called slipper feet, come to a point and have a single raised panel extending from the toe up the ankle.  The feet are joined by “H” stretchers with shaping that is characteristic of Philadelphia and environs.  There is no stretcher joining the rear legs, which are octagonal in cross-section.  The side rails are tenoned through the rear stiles.  A scratch-bead runs around the outside border of the chair back.  The inside of the seat frame has no incised chair number.