Side chair (one of a pair)

1770-1790

Measurements

38-1/2 in x 21 in x 19-1/2 in

Materials

Walnut; hard pine (slip seat)

Credit Line

Historic Odessa Foundation, gift of H. Rodney Sharp

Accession Number

1958.3248

Inscription

“I” is chiseled into the front seat rail rabbet of 1958.3248.2; the slip seat for that chair is unmarked.  Chair 1958.3248.1 is marked “II” in the seat rabbet.

Condition Notes

The left ear of the crest rail of chair 1958.3248.2 has been trimmed, reducing its flare by almost one-half inch.  This alteration was likely made to mitigate a small split or chip.

Provenance

Ex coll. H. Rodney Sharp

Comments

Although generally similar to many Philadelphia-made examples of this type of chair, this pair of chairs exhibits a notable difference in the carving of the trifid feet: the three toes do not have raised panels that extend upward into the ankle.  Instead, the toes are defined only by the deep gouges.  Another, less visible difference lies in the rear legs, which show faint evidence of draw-knife marks made to round them. Typically, these contours in the surface were smoothed away.  Two small details suggest a slightly later date of manufacture:  the top edge of the seat rails has a complex, three-part molding rather than the usual thumbnail molding, and no scratch-bead outlines the back of the chair.

Chair 1958.3248.2 was photographed.