Side Chair
Alexander Jackson Davis, one of the preeminent architects of nineteenth-century America, worked in a range of revival styles. Unlike most architects of the time, he occasionally supplied furniture designs to select clients. This animated chair, which appears ready to spring from its diminutive hoof feet, is a version of a design he made for John J. Herrick, the owner of a castellated villa designed by Davis that once stood in Tarrytown, New York. Davis’s elegant chair artfully suggests and adapts the Gothic style, which was meant to convey the values of intellect, learned contemplation, and sophistication.
Artwork Details
- Title: Side Chair
- Designer: Designed by Alexander Jackson Davis (American, New York 1803–1892 West Orange, New Jersey)
- Maker: Possibly by Burns and Brother
- Date: ca. 1857
- Geography: Made in New York, New York, United States
- Culture: American
- Medium: Black walnut, modern upholstery
- Dimensions: 39 5/8 x 18 1/2 x 18 in. (100.6 x 47 x 45.7 cm)
- Credit Line: Gift of Jane B. Davies, in memory of Lyn Davies, 1995
- Object Number: 1995.111
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
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