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Capital
Capital

Capital

about 1800
Object PlaceBoston, Massachusetts, United States
Medium/TechniqueGilt and painted wood
DimensionsOverall: 41.9 x 49.5 x 41.3 cm (16 1/2 x 19 1/2 x 16 1/4 in.)
Credit LineGift of Henry Forbes Bigelow
Accession number27.850
On View
Not on view
ClassificationsArchitectural elements
Collections
Description
According to its donor, Boston architect Henry Forbes Bigelow, this Corinthian capital came from a house on Beacon Hill. Much of Beacon Hill was developed at the end of the eighteenth century, and architect Charles Bulfinch designed many of its fine houses. The premier woodcarvers in Boston were members of the Skillin family, and this capital may have been a product of their shop.     
ProvenanceAccording to the donor, the Boston architect Henry Forbes Bigelow, this "capital came from a house on Beacon Hill, the exact identity of which I have lost, but it was a good many years ago that it was taken out, and I think there is strong reason to atribute it to Bulfinch. Unfortunately, I see no way of tracing it." Lent by Henry Forbes Bigelow, September 3, 1927; accessioned in 1927.