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拍品專文
With its finely carved urn-and-swag splat, this labeled chair is an important document of the work of the Carlile cabinetmakers who were probably responsible for the design's popularity in Federal-era Providence. Its documentation to a Providence cabinetmaking firm was of particular interest to Joseph K. Ott who was among the earliest scholars to research the Carlile family. Its acquisition in the late 1970s probably inspired Joseph K. Ott to research and write his 1982 pioneering article, which featured this chair on the first page (Joseph K. Ott, "Lesser-known Rhode Island Cabinetmakers: The Carliles, Holmes Weaver, Judson Blake, the Rawsons, and Thomas Davenport," The Magazine Antiques (May 1982), p. 1156, pl. I, fig. 1; see also Joseph K. Ott, "Recent Discoveries Among Rhode Island Cabinetmakers and Their Work," Rhode Island History 28, no. 1 (Winter 1969), p. 19; Joseph K. Ott, "Still More Notes on Rhode Island Cabinetmakers and Allied Craftsmen," Rhode Island History vol. 28, no. 4 (Fall 1969), p. 116).
This chair is one of five of the same design bearing the label of John Carlile and Sons. As noted in the Rhode Island Furniture Archive, all the labeled examples display carving details that may be distinctive to the Carlile shop, such as the swag abutting its ring rather than appearing to pass through it and a cluster of leaves that sits atop rather than overlaps the urn. Three of the other labeled chairs are in museum collections, a single chair at Chipstone and a pair of chairs at the Mead Art Museum, Amherst College. Based on these details, a large number of chairs have been attributed to the firm. As uncovered by Joseph K. Ott, the name of the firm as it appears on this chair's label was used from 1789 to 1803. The firm comprised John Carlile, Sr. (1727-1796) and his sons John, Jr. (1762-1832) (fig. 1) and Samuel (1770-1841), who operated their store "just Southward of the Market" between Main (now South Main) Street and the river. Based on the evidence from the accounts of the Proud family of cabinetmakers, Ott revealed that the name "John Carlile and Sons" was first used in 1789 and along with other references, was used to refer to the firm as late as 1803 despite the death of the elder John in 1796. Noting the sophistication of the chair's design, Ott speculated that while labeled by the firm, it was executed by John Carlile, Jr. as more refined furniture forms from the Carlile shop appear in the Proud accounts after the death of the elder John and unlike his brother Samuel, John, Jr.'s cabinetmaking skills are evident in other survivals. In 1797, John, Jr. moved his business to Benefit Street and it is possible that the chair offered here was made in this shop (The Rhode Island Furniture Archive at the Yale University Art Gallery, RIF35, RIF297, RIF4932 and RIF2554; Joseph K. Ott 1982, pp. 1156-1157).
This chair is one of five of the same design bearing the label of John Carlile and Sons. As noted in the Rhode Island Furniture Archive, all the labeled examples display carving details that may be distinctive to the Carlile shop, such as the swag abutting its ring rather than appearing to pass through it and a cluster of leaves that sits atop rather than overlaps the urn. Three of the other labeled chairs are in museum collections, a single chair at Chipstone and a pair of chairs at the Mead Art Museum, Amherst College. Based on these details, a large number of chairs have been attributed to the firm. As uncovered by Joseph K. Ott, the name of the firm as it appears on this chair's label was used from 1789 to 1803. The firm comprised John Carlile, Sr. (1727-1796) and his sons John, Jr. (1762-1832) (fig. 1) and Samuel (1770-1841), who operated their store "just Southward of the Market" between Main (now South Main) Street and the river. Based on the evidence from the accounts of the Proud family of cabinetmakers, Ott revealed that the name "John Carlile and Sons" was first used in 1789 and along with other references, was used to refer to the firm as late as 1803 despite the death of the elder John in 1796. Noting the sophistication of the chair's design, Ott speculated that while labeled by the firm, it was executed by John Carlile, Jr. as more refined furniture forms from the Carlile shop appear in the Proud accounts after the death of the elder John and unlike his brother Samuel, John, Jr.'s cabinetmaking skills are evident in other survivals. In 1797, John, Jr. moved his business to Benefit Street and it is possible that the chair offered here was made in this shop (The Rhode Island Furniture Archive at the Yale University Art Gallery, RIF35, RIF297, RIF4932 and RIF2554; Joseph K. Ott 1982, pp. 1156-1157).