side chair said to have belonged to Sir William Pepperrell; fiddle shaped splat in back, cabriole legs and duck feet 1930 Mr. I. Sack said that he believed the piece was made in Salem or Marblehead MS

Side chair, 1739

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Mrs. James S. Bell, the donor of this Boston chair, was a descendant of Sir William Pepperell. Born in 1696 in Kittery Point, Maine, then a part of Massachusetts, Sir William was a successful merchant. In 1727, he was elected one of King George III's council for Massachusetts, and he also served as the commander of forces in the expedition against Louisburg in the French and Indian War. For his services in this campaign, William Pepperrell was made a baronet, one of a few New Englanders to be thus honored. A bill for this chair in the collection of the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities indicates that upholsterer Thomas Baxter supplied ten walnut side chairs and two armchairs with "compass," or rounded, seats to William Pepperrell in 1739.

Details
Title
Side chair
Artist Life
; Boston
Role
Artist
Accession Number
29.23
Curator Approved

This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

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side chair said to have belonged to Sir William Pepperrell; fiddle shaped splat in back, cabriole legs and duck feet 1930 Mr. I. Sack said that he believed the piece was made in Salem or Marblehead MS