Side Chair
about 1805–1815
33 1/2 x 18 3/4 x 16 1/8 in. (85.09 x 47.63 x 40.96 cm)
Possibly
Duncan Phyfe
(American, born in Scotland,
1768–1854)
Creation Place:
New York City
Medium:
Mahogany with modern upholstery
Credit Line:
Museum purchase
Accession Number:
1932.35
Currently on View in:
Music Room (14)
Gallery Label
Duncan Phyfe, considered one of America’s most important furniture makers, may have made these four chairs in his large and highly successful workshop. In terms of quality and design, they closely resemble a documented set he made for a wealthy New York businessman in 1807. Similarities include the double-cross backs centered by rosettes and top rails featuring finely carved thunderbolts bound with a bowknot. Also characteristic of Phyfe’s work are ribbon-tied sheaves of wheat, which can be found on the last chair along this wall.
Provenance
Acquired by Louis Guerineau Myers, New York, NY; (consigned to American Art Association, Anderson Galleries, Inc., New York, NY); purchased by the Taft Museum, Cincinnati, OH, April 9, 1932 (no. 537) [1].
Notes:
[1]. Until August 31, 2006, the Taft Museum of Art was owned by the Cincinnati Institute of Fine Arts (CIFA), administered by CIFA’s Board of Trustees, and governed by the Taft Museum Board of Overseers. On September 1, 2006, the Museum legally separated from CIFA and began operations as its own incorporated 501(c)(3) entity. This separate incorporation led to the transfer to the separate entity after August 31, 2006 of all tangible assets comprising the Taft collection.
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