Art Institute of Chicago

Side Chair

Artist unknown (American, 18th century)

Date

1760–85

Medium

Mahogany with oak, maple, and upholstery

Culture

Boston

Department

Arts of the Americas

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Designs for American furniture of the colonial period were usually based on European precedents, whether from an exact prototype, from designs in pattern books, or from the memory of an immigrant craftsman. In the case of this chair, the craftsman based the design on both an English chair that was imported into Boston sometime around 1750 and on a design plate from Thomas Chippendale’s pattern book, The Gentleman and the Cabinetmaker’s Director , published in 1762. With its delicate proportions and crisp carvings, this chair is one of the boldest expressions of the Boston Rococo style.

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