Lot Essay
A distinctive feature of this chair is the triple-swelled medial stretcher. More unusal than a simple cylindrical or square stretcher, this treatment is seen on chairs made in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Other characteristics of easy-chairs that are shared from both Newport and Boston, although more prodigious in the former region, are the chamfered rear legs, rounded front rail, arched crest, and the swollen turning before the tenon, less arrow-like than on many Massachusetts chairs. The commerical ties and constant influx of both artisans and furniture between the regions explains the shared motifs evident on this easy-chair.
For related easy chairs, see Michael Moses, Master Craftsmen of Newport, (Tenafly, NJ, 1984), fig. 6.8; David Warren, Bayou Bend, (Houston, 1975), fig. 90; Charles L. Venable, American Furniture in the Bybee Collection, (Austin, TX, 1989), no. 13.
The survival of original under-upholstery on this easy-chair or "Saddle Check," as it was termed in the period, increases its importance as a document to traditional craft techniques and traditions (Hepplewhite,
(New York, 1969), p. 3. The webbing was first nailed to the rails and stiles in an interwoven manner, thus acting as a support for the under-uphostery. Upon the webbing, a layer of coarse linen sackcloth was placed and nailed to the structure. The arms and front seatrail were then softened and contoured by tightly rolled bundles of grass. The stuffing was then placed on the chair. By the mid-18th century, curled hair was replacing the exclusive use of grass as a filler. This easy-chair has a layer of grass placed upon the sackcloth over which the resilient curled hair is lain. The stuffing is secured to the sackcloth with twine, still evident on this chair. The final layer before the upholstery fabric, was another piece of linen, often, as in this case, finer than the sackcloth. See, Morrison H. Heckscher, "18th Century American Upholstery Techniques: Easy-Chairs, Sofas, and Settees," in Upholstery in America and Europe, (symposium at Colonial Williamsburg, 1990).
For related easy chairs, see Michael Moses, Master Craftsmen of Newport, (Tenafly, NJ, 1984), fig. 6.8; David Warren, Bayou Bend, (Houston, 1975), fig. 90; Charles L. Venable, American Furniture in the Bybee Collection, (Austin, TX, 1989), no. 13.
The survival of original under-upholstery on this easy-chair or "Saddle Check," as it was termed in the period, increases its importance as a document to traditional craft techniques and traditions (Hepplewhite,
(New York, 1969), p. 3. The webbing was first nailed to the rails and stiles in an interwoven manner, thus acting as a support for the under-uphostery. Upon the webbing, a layer of coarse linen sackcloth was placed and nailed to the structure. The arms and front seatrail were then softened and contoured by tightly rolled bundles of grass. The stuffing was then placed on the chair. By the mid-18th century, curled hair was replacing the exclusive use of grass as a filler. This easy-chair has a layer of grass placed upon the sackcloth over which the resilient curled hair is lain. The stuffing is secured to the sackcloth with twine, still evident on this chair. The final layer before the upholstery fabric, was another piece of linen, often, as in this case, finer than the sackcloth. See, Morrison H. Heckscher, "18th Century American Upholstery Techniques: Easy-Chairs, Sofas, and Settees," in Upholstery in America and Europe, (symposium at Colonial Williamsburg, 1990).