Side Chair
Attributed to
Kilborn Whitman & Company
(American, 1876 - 1896)
Datec. 1880
MediumBeech, birch, cherry, gilding, and replacement uphostery
DimensionsOverall: 32 × 16 7/8 × 18in. (81.3 × 42.9 × 45.7cm)
ClassificationsFURNISHINGS
Credit LineGift of Thomas G. Schafer
Terms
Object number87.1
DescriptionStylistically this chair displays an eclectic mixture of influences: The baluster-like front legs are of Northern Renaissance inspiration; the use of geometric and floriform incising and the curved brackets below the seat rail and arcade were viewed, in the 1880s, as Modern Gothic; and the stylized leaves and flowers featured on the carved crest panel have Oriental precedents. The end result is a fusion of charm, delicacy, and strength appropriate to the object's function as an easily movable "accent" in the parlor, boudoir, or bedroom. The gilded finish on the chair, more expensive than a "natural" or an ebonized surface, implies the formality befitting a parlor setting.ATD
On View
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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 TextStylistically this chair displays an eclectic mixture of influences: the baluster-like front legs are of Northern Renaissance inspiration; the use of geometric and floriform incising and the curved brackets below the seat rail and the arcade were viewed, in the 1880s, as Modern Gothic; and the stylized leaves and flowers featured on the carved crest panel have Oriental precedents. The result is a fusion of charm, delicacy, and strength appropriate to the object's function as an easily movable "accent" in the parlor, boudoir, or bedroom. The gilded finish on the chair, more expensive than a "natural" or an ebonized surface, implies the formality of a parlor setting.
ATD
Elements of the chair's earlier upholstery survived, but a suitable reproduction fabric in imitation of the original could not be located. Instead, a remnant of an 1880s mantle scarf or runner was salvaged and used to cover the seat, keeping what survived of the original upholstery below. By securing springs and foundation fabrics to a piece of Plexiglas rather than the seat frame (as seen in the mirror), stress on the chair frame is alleviated.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
1904-1905
