Armchair
Attributed to
Elijah Galusha
(American, 1804 - 1871)
Date1850-1870
MediumRosewood, walnut, white ash, and modern upholstery
DimensionsOverall: 50 3/8 x 24 1/2 x 22 1/8in. (128 x 62.2 x 56.2cm)
ClassificationsFURNISHINGS
Credit LineProctor Collection
Terms
Object numberPC. 419
On View
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 TextIt is unclear when the Williams family acquired this chair, but it descended in the family and became a part of the MWPI collection. It may have been used in James Williams' study, once located on the second floor of Fountain Elms at the front of the house. Or, perhaps, it was part of the furnishings in the family sitting room, which in the 1860s was located where the bedroom period setting is today in Fountain Elms.
This armchair embodies many design characteristics associated with the Elizabethan Revival style. Here, geometric elements and naturalistic carving are drawn together in a cohesive whole. Foliage, a scallop shell, and a nosegay of flowers are unified within a triangular form on the crest of the chair. Carving, imitative of nature, softens strong vertical and horizontal lines formed by the stiles, the frame of the upholstered back, and the seat rail.
ATD
