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Armchair

Designed by: E. G. Punnett
Manufactured by: William Birch & Company (High Wycombe, England, founded in 1840)
English (High Wycombe)
about 1901
Object Place: Europe, England

Medium/Technique Oak, walnut, ebony, rush
Dimensions 84.45 x 71.12 x 49.53 cm (33 1/4 x 28 x 19 1/2 in.)
Credit Line Otis Norcross Fund
Accession Number1987.424
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsEurope
ClassificationsFurnitureSeating and beds
The lofty ideals espoused by William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement occasionally filtered through to the commercial production of furniture. They are evident here in the conscious simplicity and vernacular style of the chair's design and in the use of such humble materials as oak and rush. The stylized floral decoration, however, is an example of the significant influence of the current Art Nouveau style.

DescriptionLow back framing twin rush panels divided by a central splat, supporting a curved cresting inset with a walnut tablet enclosing an art nouveau stem motif in ebony. The uprights, flat arms resting on arched bridge rails, shaped seats rame and plain stretchers are constructed of broad 3/4 inch staves united by dowel tenons. The rush slip seat drops in to a slightly splayed frame with a rounded front supported on a corbel. Oak with walnut and ebony inlay and rush seat and back.
ProvenanceBy 1987, with Catherine Kurland, New York, NY; 1987, sold by Catherine Kurland to the MFA. (Accession date: September 23, 1987)