Armchair
William Birch & Company
(High Wycombe, England, founded in 1840)
about 1901
Object PlaceEngland
Medium/TechniqueOak, walnut, ebony, rush
Dimensions84.45 x 71.12 x 49.53 cm (33 1/4 x 28 x 19 1/2 in.)
Credit LineOtis Norcross Fund
Accession number1987.424
On View
Not on viewClassificationsFurniture
Collections
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.
ProvenanceBy 1987, with Catherine Kurland, New York, NY; 1987, sold by Catherine Kurland to the MFA. (Accession date: September 23, 1987)
1640–70
about 1735
about 1870
about 1700
about 1875
about 1840–1850
About 1700–20
about 1840–50
about 1775–1800
about 1850
about 1690
