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Lot Essay
Descending in the family for which they were made and embellished with delicately carved ornament, these chairs are rare examples expressing the height of Philadelphia artisanship during the Chippendale era. Termed by Thomas Chippendale in his 1754 Director as the "Gothick," Chinese and French "manners," the quatrefoil voids, stylized pagodas and acanthus-leaf carving illustrate the various influences on Chippendale design. While these elements demonstrate the carver's knowledge of English fashions, details of the chairs' construction such as the quarter-round glueblocks and through-tenons of the side rails are hallmarks of Philadelphia craftsmanship.
Bearing identical designs, this pair of chairs appears to have been made en suite with at least six other surviving examples in the collections of the Chipstone Foundation, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and private collections (figs. 3 and 4). Comparison with the chair at Chipstone reveals similarities in details of construction that indicate their production as part of a larger set. All three of these chairs are numbered on their seat rails and slip-seat frames with curvilinear gouges instead of the more usual straight incisions forming the Roman numerals with the chairs offered here marked II and VI and the chair at Chipstone marked VII. The slip-seat frames on the chairs offered here are also marked IIII and VI, showing that one retains its original frame and the other has a frame originally made for another chair from the set. In addtion to identical pegging configurations, all three chairs have splats that fit into shoes that protrude into the rear stiles, an unusual feature that provides for a tighter joint. The chair at the Philadelphia Museum is marked XII, indicating the original set comprised at least twelve chairs. The other chairs are illustrated as follows: Hornor, Blue Book Philadelphia Furniture (Washington D.C., 1935), pl. 364; Roque, American Furniture at Chipstone (Madison, Wisconsin, 1984), cat. 60, pp. 138-9; three chairs were sold at Sotheby Parke Bernet, Inc., Property from the Estate of the Late Charles Woolsey Lyon, March 3, 1973, lot 158, one of which sold again at Sotheby's New York, October 24-25, 1986, lot 217).
The family histories of this pair of chairs, the chair at the Philadelphia Museum and the three chairs in private collections reveal one common ancestor: Jeremiah Warder (1711-1783) of Philadelphia (see fig. 2). Detailing the chair's provenance, a label on one of the chairs in a private collection states that it was owned by Jeremiah Morris, Mary Eliza Morris and subsequent generations of the Cox and Ferguson families and the chair at the Philadelphia Museum has a closely related provenance with a tradition of ownership in the Morris-Cox-Keim families. Jeremiah Morris (1784-1825) was the grandson of Jeremiah Warder as was Mary Ann (Warder) Bacon (1782-1863) whose son, George Vaux Bacon (b. 1802) married into the Kirkbride-Howell family, the line of descent for the chairs illustrated here. Furthermore, the armchair illustrated (and possibly another referenced) in Hornor was owned in the early 20th-century by members of the Howell family (Moon, The Morris Family of Philadelphia, 3 vols. (Philadelphia, 1898), II: 396-399, 578, 723; Warder Manuscripts, Jones-Cadbury Family Papers, Boxes 103-109, Haverford College, Haverford, PA; Hornor, pl. 364).
JEREMIAH WARDER OF PHILADELPHIA
The son of Willoughby Warder, Jr. (d. 1728) and Sarah Bowyer, Jeremiah Warder was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania in 1711. At a young age, he was sent to Philadelphia to apprentice as a hatter. Once established on his own, he developed a large and successful mercantile business importing goods from London. He married Mary Head (1714-1803), the daughter of his partner in London, John Head in 1736 and by 1755, the couple was living at no. 12 3rd Street. During the beginnings of the hostilities between the colonies and England, Warder expressed his support of the patriot cause by opposing the Stamp Act and signing the non-importation agreement. However, after the outbreak of war and approaching enemy forces, Warder was suspected of being a sympathizer to the crown and was arrested along with other prominent members of local Quaker families such as the Pembertons, Fishers, Drinkers and Whartons. Warder died during the war and at the time was noted to be "one of the richest men in outward goods among Friends" (Moon, II: 398-399; Jeremiah Warder (1780-1849), letter, 1828, Warder Manuscripts; Leach, "Old Philadelphia Families: Warder," The North American (Philadelphia, 1912), Warder Manuscripts).
JOHN WARDER OF LONDON AND PHILADELPHIA
Part of Jeremiah Warder's "outward goods," the set of chairs appears to have been dispersed amongst his children. The pair illustrated here and those cited in Hornor passed through the lines of his son, John Warder (1751-1828). Once he reached maturity, John entered his father's business and soon after the company's name changed to Jeremiah Warder & Son. In order to protect the interests of the business during the war, John removed to London where he met and married his second cousin, Ann Head. The couple returned to Philadelphia in 1786 and lived in Jeremiah Warder's house. Begun as a series of letters to her sister in England, Ann (Head) Warder's diary of the subsequent years provides a richly detailed account of the social activities of a close-knit group of Quakers. Included in her accounts are numerous dinners and outings with her husband's sister, Sarah (Warder) Morris who inherited the chairs now at the Philadelphia Museum and in the private collections. The wife of William Hudson Morris (1753-1807), Sarah had married into one of Philadelphia's most prominent families. In 1828, John Warder died leaving his heirs with extensive real estate holdings in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Ohio as well as numerous house lots in Philadelphia. In all likelihood, the chairs illustrated here were part of the furnishings of Warder's "Mansion" house at 117 Sassafrass (now Race) Street. His daughter, Mary Ann (Warder) Bacon inherited a part trust in the house and her husband was living in the same building upon his death in 1859 (Moon, II: 399; Warder Manuscripts; Will of John Warder, Russell County, Virginia, Will Book 6, pp. 68-78, cited in https://wwww.rootsweb.com/varussel/probate/johnwarder.html).
Bearing identical designs, this pair of chairs appears to have been made en suite with at least six other surviving examples in the collections of the Chipstone Foundation, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and private collections (figs. 3 and 4). Comparison with the chair at Chipstone reveals similarities in details of construction that indicate their production as part of a larger set. All three of these chairs are numbered on their seat rails and slip-seat frames with curvilinear gouges instead of the more usual straight incisions forming the Roman numerals with the chairs offered here marked II and VI and the chair at Chipstone marked VII. The slip-seat frames on the chairs offered here are also marked IIII and VI, showing that one retains its original frame and the other has a frame originally made for another chair from the set. In addtion to identical pegging configurations, all three chairs have splats that fit into shoes that protrude into the rear stiles, an unusual feature that provides for a tighter joint. The chair at the Philadelphia Museum is marked XII, indicating the original set comprised at least twelve chairs. The other chairs are illustrated as follows: Hornor, Blue Book Philadelphia Furniture (Washington D.C., 1935), pl. 364; Roque, American Furniture at Chipstone (Madison, Wisconsin, 1984), cat. 60, pp. 138-9; three chairs were sold at Sotheby Parke Bernet, Inc., Property from the Estate of the Late Charles Woolsey Lyon, March 3, 1973, lot 158, one of which sold again at Sotheby's New York, October 24-25, 1986, lot 217).
The family histories of this pair of chairs, the chair at the Philadelphia Museum and the three chairs in private collections reveal one common ancestor: Jeremiah Warder (1711-1783) of Philadelphia (see fig. 2). Detailing the chair's provenance, a label on one of the chairs in a private collection states that it was owned by Jeremiah Morris, Mary Eliza Morris and subsequent generations of the Cox and Ferguson families and the chair at the Philadelphia Museum has a closely related provenance with a tradition of ownership in the Morris-Cox-Keim families. Jeremiah Morris (1784-1825) was the grandson of Jeremiah Warder as was Mary Ann (Warder) Bacon (1782-1863) whose son, George Vaux Bacon (b. 1802) married into the Kirkbride-Howell family, the line of descent for the chairs illustrated here. Furthermore, the armchair illustrated (and possibly another referenced) in Hornor was owned in the early 20th-century by members of the Howell family (Moon, The Morris Family of Philadelphia, 3 vols. (Philadelphia, 1898), II: 396-399, 578, 723; Warder Manuscripts, Jones-Cadbury Family Papers, Boxes 103-109, Haverford College, Haverford, PA; Hornor, pl. 364).
JEREMIAH WARDER OF PHILADELPHIA
The son of Willoughby Warder, Jr. (d. 1728) and Sarah Bowyer, Jeremiah Warder was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania in 1711. At a young age, he was sent to Philadelphia to apprentice as a hatter. Once established on his own, he developed a large and successful mercantile business importing goods from London. He married Mary Head (1714-1803), the daughter of his partner in London, John Head in 1736 and by 1755, the couple was living at no. 12 3rd Street. During the beginnings of the hostilities between the colonies and England, Warder expressed his support of the patriot cause by opposing the Stamp Act and signing the non-importation agreement. However, after the outbreak of war and approaching enemy forces, Warder was suspected of being a sympathizer to the crown and was arrested along with other prominent members of local Quaker families such as the Pembertons, Fishers, Drinkers and Whartons. Warder died during the war and at the time was noted to be "one of the richest men in outward goods among Friends" (Moon, II: 398-399; Jeremiah Warder (1780-1849), letter, 1828, Warder Manuscripts; Leach, "Old Philadelphia Families: Warder," The North American (Philadelphia, 1912), Warder Manuscripts).
JOHN WARDER OF LONDON AND PHILADELPHIA
Part of Jeremiah Warder's "outward goods," the set of chairs appears to have been dispersed amongst his children. The pair illustrated here and those cited in Hornor passed through the lines of his son, John Warder (1751-1828). Once he reached maturity, John entered his father's business and soon after the company's name changed to Jeremiah Warder & Son. In order to protect the interests of the business during the war, John removed to London where he met and married his second cousin, Ann Head. The couple returned to Philadelphia in 1786 and lived in Jeremiah Warder's house. Begun as a series of letters to her sister in England, Ann (Head) Warder's diary of the subsequent years provides a richly detailed account of the social activities of a close-knit group of Quakers. Included in her accounts are numerous dinners and outings with her husband's sister, Sarah (Warder) Morris who inherited the chairs now at the Philadelphia Museum and in the private collections. The wife of William Hudson Morris (1753-1807), Sarah had married into one of Philadelphia's most prominent families. In 1828, John Warder died leaving his heirs with extensive real estate holdings in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Ohio as well as numerous house lots in Philadelphia. In all likelihood, the chairs illustrated here were part of the furnishings of Warder's "Mansion" house at 117 Sassafrass (now Race) Street. His daughter, Mary Ann (Warder) Bacon inherited a part trust in the house and her husband was living in the same building upon his death in 1859 (Moon, II: 399; Warder Manuscripts; Will of John Warder, Russell County, Virginia, Will Book 6, pp. 68-78, cited in https://wwww.rootsweb.com/varussel/probate/johnwarder.html).