square seat of woven fibers; chair is painted in mostly gold, olive green, black; fruit and leaf design painted on chair back at top center; horizontal rail at middle of chair back has a star in a square design flanked by fan-like shapes; striped pattern at front of chair seat

Side chair, c. 1830

Unknown artist, expand_more
Not on Viewexpand_more

Painted furniture has been popular in America since first settlement. Objects like this painted chair were usually referred to as "fancy" at the time because of the fanciful patterns and faux finishes used to decorate them. In this fancy chair, wet yellow and green paint was smoke-grained or exposed to the smoke of a candle, resulting in sooty, almost cloudlike shapes. Decorative painters up and down the east coast admired and copied the technique. The decoration of this tour de force chair is enhanced with stenciled and freehand decoration imitating fruit, anthemia, and brass buttons.

Details
Title
Side chair
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2008.41.5
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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square seat of woven fibers; chair is painted in mostly gold, olive green, black; fruit and leaf design painted on chair back at top center; horizontal rail at middle of chair back has a star in a square design flanked by fan-like shapes; striped pattern at front of chair seat