Centripetal Spring Chair
Design attributed to
Thomas E. Warren
(American, 1808 - 1853)
Manufacture Attributed to
American Chair Company
(American, 1829 - 1858)
Date1849-1858
MediumCast iron, steel, hard maple, birch, yellow-poplar, basswood, brass, paint, reproduction upholstery
DimensionsOverall: 32 × 23 1/2 × 23 1/2in. (81.3 × 59.7 × 59.7cm)
ClassificationsFURNISHINGS
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Terms
Object number86.33
DescriptionSteel springs, cast iron and sheet metal; red upholstered back and seat- fringe around seatOn View
Not on viewCollections
Copyright<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc/4.0/80x15.png" /></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License</a>.
Label TextCentripetal chairs combine seemingly contradictory design elements. C-shaped, steel springs and cast iron components are unlikely partners with the decorative painting and rich upholstery. The curved metal back (painted to simulate rosewood on this example) and foliate details emulated more expensive Rococo-style parlor furniture such as that produced in the New York City shop of John Henry Belter. The luxuriant fabric and Rococo Revival details resulted in a chair that was suitable for use in the formal rooms of a house. Thomas Warren's centripetal spring chairs, which tilt and swivel, were among the earliest examples of experimental seating forms to be commercially produced.
ATD
