Diplomatic Reception Rooms, U.S. Department of State

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Pair Federal Inlaid Mahogany Shield-Back Side Chairs

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Object Details

Maker
Unknown
Date
ca. 1795
Geography
United States: Maryland: Baltimore
Culture
North American
Medium
wood; mahogany; soft maple
Dimensions
Overall: 38 3/4 in x 20 in x 18 3/4 in; 98.425 cm x 50.8 cm x 47.625 cm
Provenance
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Wainwright; to the Fine Arts Committee through purchase.
Inscriptions
None
Credit Line
Funds donated by Laurance H. Armour, Jr., and Margot B. Armour Family Foundation
Collection
The Diplomatic Reception Rooms, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C.
Accession Number
RR-1974.0103.1-.2

Related Objects

One from a Set of Four Federal Inlaid Mahogany Shield-Back Side Chairs

Set of Four Federal Inlaid Mahogany Shield-Back Side Chairs
Singleton, William
ca. 1795
wood; mahogany; ash; yellow-poplar; walnut

Object Essay

This chair is one of a pair of chairs that are nearly identical to others in the Collection (see Cat. No. 66.60), with some minor variations. The proportions of this pair are slightly narrower; the carving, though stylized, is less scratchy in character; and the inlaid shaded fan has wavy spokes, giving it a floral appearance.1Two other heart-back chairs in the Diplomatic Reception Rooms have similar “wavy” fans, but these inlays are probably replacements. The chairs (see Acc. No. 68.68.1–.2) are illustrated in Conger and Pool, 9; and Guidebook to Diplomatic Reception Rooms, 45. The inlaid eagles are extremely similar, differing only in having more neatly inscribed lines on the shield.

Gregory R. Weidman

Excerpted from Clement E. Conger, et al. Treasures of State: Fine and Decorative Arts in the Diplomatic Reception Rooms of the U.S. Department of State. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1991.