Armchair
1 of 3
Object Label
These two mahogany chairs—from Mexico and Pennsylvania, respectively—are indebted to the same design source, the Rococo furniture popularized in England by Thomas Chippendale through his seminal furniture pattern book The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker’s Director of 1754. These chairs, and the portraits above, would have been found in formal spaces in the houses of the well-to-do, indicating high social standing. The Philadelphia chair, with its dynamic curves and counter-curves, is a much more expansive interpretation of Chippendale’s style than the more tightly carved and elongated form of the Mexican chair, ultimately reflecting, perhaps, the stricter, hierarchical Spanish American social order.
Caption
William Savery (American, 1721–1787). Armchair, ca. 1760. Walnut, yellow pine, modern upholstery, 42 1/2 x 31 x 21 in. (107.95 x 78.74 x 53.34 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Matthew Scott Sloan Collection, Gift of Lidie Lane Sloan McBurney, 1997.150.1a-b. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Maker
Title
Armchair
Date
ca. 1760
Geography
Place made: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Medium
Walnut, yellow pine, modern upholstery
Classification
Dimensions
42 1/2 x 31 x 21 in. (107.95 x 78.74 x 53.34 cm)
Markings
(1) Incised on top of front seat rail: "I" (2) Paper label attached to outside of rear seat rail: "All sorts of chairs and joiners work made and sold by William Savery. At the sign of the chair a little below the market in Second Street, Philadelphia." (3) Brass plaque attached to inside of rear seat rail: "Fiddle Back Walnut Armchair with Original Label of William Savery, Philadelphia Circa 1750. No. 677 Reifsnyder Collection. American Art Galleries Sale April 27, 1929." [Label added by collector]
Credit Line
Matthew Scott Sloan Collection, Gift of Lidie Lane Sloan McBurney
Accession Number
1997.150.1a-b
Have information?
Have information about an artwork? Contact us at