Side Chair
Artist
L. Marcotte & Co.
(American, 1860 - 1918)
Date1869
MediumEbonized American black cherry, gilded bronze, original tapestry upholstery
DimensionsOverall: 33 1/2 x 18 x 18in. (85.1 x 45.7 x 45.7cm)
ClassificationsFURNISHINGS
Credit LineMuseum purchase and partial gift from Nina and Jack Gray
Object number2001.26
DescriptionL. Marcotte & Co., side chair with upholstered seat and open back. Ebonized with gilt brass, beaded mountsOn 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 TextPurchased by Eliphalet (d. 1900) and Mary Grant Wood for their mansion "Irving Cliff" in Irvington-on-the-Hudson in 1869, this Louis XVI-style chair was part of an eight-piece parlor suite. While traveling in Europe, Wood purchased the tapestry used as the upholstery on this suite at the famous Aux Genre Gobelins factory in Paris. Throughout its history the factory serviced the French monarchy. The floral design on this tapestry is an example of the Aubusson style, which was popularized in the region of the same name. The use of an expensive and luxurious imported fabric as upholstery signified Wood's wealth.
Marcotte and Co., a firm based in New York and Paris that catered to the decorating needs of the wealthy, made this chair. Leon Marcotte emigrated from Paris to New York in 1848 with his brother-in-law, Auguste-Emile Ringuet-Leprince, another noted decorator and ébéniste (cabinetmaker). Their showroom was eventually located on Fifth Avenue. Marcotte and Co. provided sophisticated New Yorkers with Parisian styles and offered a wide range of merchandise that included furniture, tapestries, and ornamental architectural elements in addition to offering decorating advice.
CM
