Object Details
Object Essay
This chair and its mate are among the finest Philadelphia interpretations of Thomas Chippendale’s Gothic chair designs. Based on English prototypes, the lines of the splat are fully integrated with the crest rail.Kirk 1982, 272.1 Though worn, the sculptural carving on this chair creates areas of rich visual interest that serve as a foil to areas defined with linear moldings.
At least nine other chairs of identical design survive with histories in the Wharton family; they may all be part of the same set as the Collection’s example.Four of the chairs from the Edwards set are at Winterthur (Downs 1952, no. 130); two others are in the collection of William J. Doyle; and another was sold by Sotheby’s, Sale 5296, February 1, 1985, Lot 617.2
No specific shop can be connected with these chairs, although a set of this size and quality would have required a number of workmen to complete the order. The crest rails and knees of the Collection’s chairs were carved by different hands following the same pattern, whereas the splats appear to have been the work of the same carver. The rear seat rail is composed of two vertical laminates, a technique found on a side chair labeled by Thomas Tufft. A set of chairs with identical backs was made for Thomas and Elizabeth Edwards of Philadelphia, who were married in 1762.Four chairs are in the Philadelphia Museum of Art; two are in the Kaufman Collection (Flanigan, no. 9), and three were advertised by Israel Sack, Inc. (Antiques 131 [February 1987], inside front cover). One of the chairs from this set is illustrated in Hornor 1935, pl. 362.3
David L. Barquist
Excerpted from Clement E. Conger, et al. Treasures of State: Fine and Decorative Arts in the Diplomatic Reception Rooms of the U.S. Department of State. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1991.