With its ruffle carved crest and tassle-back splat, this chair is amoung a group of chairs often called "Van Rensselear," so named because at least four sets of this type have association with this prominent family. These chairs are known to have descended in the families of Stephen Van Rensselaer II, Jeremias Van Rensselear and a descendant of Killian Van Rensselear (see Heckscher, American Furntiure in the Metropolitian Museum of Art (New York, 1985)p. 70, fig. 28. While each set has varriation in the carving of the crestrail their associations are based upon the tassle-back splats, with their spade-pierced lower section. A similar example is illustrated as "best" in Sack, Fine Points of Furniture(New York, 1950)p. 42.