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Side chair

Possibly by: John Gaines III (American, 1704–1743)
About 1732–43
Object Place: Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Medium/Technique Maple, possibly chestnut
Dimensions 102.87 x 48.26 x 43.81 cm (40 1/2 x 19 x 17 1/4 in.)
Credit Line Gift of Maxim Karolik
Accession Number60.1412
CollectionsAmericas
ClassificationsFurnitureSeating and beds
Although it contains the customary elements of New England seating furniture in the late Baroque style, this chair breaks the mold in its rounded stiles (rear vertical posts); idiosyncratic, pointed splat design; and tiny, almost vestigial, pad feet. Its most commanding feature is the carved double shell that ornaments the crest rail, capping a distinctive (if somewhat naive) version of an international style as interpreted on the banks of Portsmouth's Piscataqua River.

Catalogue Raisonné Randall 132
ProvenanceThe chair was bought in the region of Portsmouth, and owned for some years around 1930 by the dealer Charles H. "Cappy" Stewart of Portsmouth.