THE IMPORTANT PAIR OF EBENEZER GRANT CHIPPENDALE CARVED CHERRYWOOD SIDE CHAIRS, attributed to Eliphalet Chapin (1741-1807), Windsor area, Connecticut, Circa 1780

Descended trough the Ebenezer Grant family;
Sotheby's New York, October 25, 1986, Important American Furniture, Folk Art, Folk Paintings, and Chinese Export Porcelain, sale 5500, lot 229;
Sotheby's New York, January 23, 2011, Property from the Hascoe Family Collection, sale 8724, lot 71.

both secondary woods white pine. Slip seat frames replaced; one chair with proper right rear return replaced. Upholstered in a "non-intrusive" method. Both chairs with added shims beneath shoes on splat; refinished; wear to talons on feet and knees
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This pair of side chairs is part of a celebrated set of six made for Ebenezer Grant by Eliphalet Chapin for the dowry of Ebenezer Grant's daughter, Anne Marsh, who married Reverend John Marsh of Wethersfield, Connecticut, on December 6, 1775.  One chair from the set is in the Barbour Collection at the Connecticut Historical Society.  An entry for December 1775 in the account book kept by Ebenezer Grant (1706-1797) and his son, Roswell Grant (1746 or 1747-1834), East Windsor, identifies these chairs as "claw foot chairs" purchased from Eliphalet Chapin, costing 24 shillings each.

Ebenezer Grant was a prominent merchant in East Windsor.  His monumental house, built in 1758, is one of the most important examples of the mid-18th century high-style architecture remaining in Connecticut.  His life and house are discussed by William H. Hosley in the catalogue for the exhibition, The Great River, Art and Society of the Connecticut Valley, 1635-1820, (Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Connecticut, 1985), pp. 84-85.

A side chair from the set is illustrated in a catalogue for the exhibition of the Frederick K. and Margaret R. Barbour Furniture Collection, (Connecticut Historical Society, 1963), pp. 12-13.

An armchair made to accompany the set of six side chairs and also listed in the Grant account book is illustrated in an article by Joseph Lionetti and Robert F. Trent in The Magazine Antiques, "New Information about Chapin Chairs," May 1986, p. 1086, fig. 8.

As Robert Trent and Joseph Lionetti have pointed out in their article, less than five groups of furniture can actually be documented as having been made in the cabinetshop of Eliphalet Chapin.  This is comprised of the present group of chairs and their accompanying armchairs, a pair of side chairs in the collection of the Yale University Art Gallery, and a signed tall case clock in a private collection.  The chairs descended in the family until consigned for auction in October 1986.

 

Provenance:
Ebenezer Grant (1706-1797) of East Windsor, Connecticut;
to his daughter, Anne Grant, given at the time of her marriage to Reverend John Marsh in 1775;
to their daughter, Mary Marsh, who married William Watson;
to their daughter, Lydia Marsh (1786-1880);
to their niece, Sarah (Watson) Dana, 1814-1902, wife of Richard Henry Dana, Jr.;
two of the chairs to their daughter, Henrietta Channing (Dana) (1857-1928);
and two chairs to their daughter, Mary Rosamond (Dana) Wild, 1848-1937;
Mrs. Skinner's two chairs to her son, Richard Dana Skinner, 1893-1937;
and Mrs. Wild's two chairs to her daughter, Rosamond Dana Wild, 1879-;
Mr. Skinner's two chairs to her cousin by marriage to Gregory B. Smith, 1913-, husband of Margaret Hill (Skinner) Smith;
all four chairs then by descent to the sellers in Sotheby's New York, October 25, 1986, Important American Furniture, Folk Art, Folk Paintings, and Chinese Export Porcelain, sale 5500, lot 229;
Sotheby's New York, January 23, 2011, Property from the Hascoe Family Collection, sale 8724, lot 71