Side chair (one of a pair)
Thomas Seymour
(American (born in England), 1771–1848)
John Seymour
(American (born in England), 1738–1818)
1804–10
Object PlaceBoston, Massachusetts, United States
Medium/TechniqueMahogany with satinwood veneers
DimensionsOverall: 88.9 x 48.3 x 40.6 cm (35 x 19 x 16 in.)
Credit LineThe M. and M. Karolik Collection of Eighteenth-Century American Arts
Accession number41.610b
On View
Not on viewClassificationsFurniture
Collections
This chair and its pair, exhibited nearby, were based on a design in "London Chair-Maker' and Carvers' Book of Prices for Workmanship" (1802). The Seymours brought this design to life by playing light satinwood or birch veneers against dark mahogany. The crest rail with its carved, turned, and veneered elements; the delicate tracery of the back rails; and the raking front legs demonstrate the Seymours's impressive technical skill. Their shop was the only one in Boston known to have produced a chair of this complex design; they issued it in several variations.
ProvenancePurchased from Antiques Gallery (Jacobs); gift of Mr. and Mrs. Maxim Karolik for "The M. and M. Karolik Collection of Eighteenth-Century American Arts" (Accession Date October 9, 1941)
1800–10
1809
1790–1800
1790–1800
1800–1810
1790–1800
1790–1800
about 1809
1804–10
1804–09
about 1875
about 1780–85