The Dawes-Morris Family Set of Six Chippendale Carved Walnut Side Chairs, School of William Savery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, circa 1760

label attached to rear seat rail reads: These Chippendale chairs, owned by / S.W. Wood, is one of a set of six from / Dawesfield, acquired by the family / around 1817.  3 owned by Salvadora Meade Wood.  3 owned by Edith Meade Francine; they retain a dry historic surface; appear to retain their original slip seat cushion frames.

Elizabeth Dawes (1746-1826), daughter of Abraham (1704-1766) and Mary Dawes, who married James Morris (1753-1795) in 1772;
To their daughter, Hannah Morris (1773-1842), who married Thomas Chalkley James (1766-1835) in 1802;
To their daughter, Phoebe James (1818-1902), who married Saunders Lewis (1813-1893) in 1843;
To their daughter, Elizabeth Lewis (1849-1931), who married Col. George Meade;
To their daughter Edith Meade (1880-1968), who married Horace H. Francine;
To their daughter, Phoebe Meade Francine (1913-2007), who married Carroll Wetzel;
Thence by descent to the present owners.

Lewis, Saunders, Reminiscences of Dawesfield & Vicinity. Privately printed, 1896, p. 84

secondary wood is yellow pine, several chairs to abbraison to 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.

Rare for having survived together for over 250 years, these finely proportioned and boldly carved side chairs reflect the Quaker preference for a design relying upon line more than surface ornament to achieve a harmonious visual effect. The chairs were originally owned by James Morris, a prominent Philadelphia Quaker and merchant, and his wife Elizabeth (Dawes) at Dawesfield, in Whitpain Township, Pennsylvania, and have descended directly through maternal lines of their family on the same tract of family land until the present time.

These chairs are transitional examples of Philadelphia seating furniture as they reflect characteristics associated with the Queen Anne and Rococo styles. The trapezoidal seat, straight stiles, and serpentine crest rail are associated with Rococo style chairs while the piercing constrained by the shape of the splat, discreetly placed shells and scrolls, and tall back are features typical of the Queen Anne aesthetic. Chairs with Rococo features were made in Philadelphia from the 1750s. Charles Norris purchased six related transitional side chairs "with Shell at the top front & Knee" from John Elliott in 1756.¹  Philadelphia chairs with a similar combination of characteristics have been attributed to Solomon Fussel, who ceased making chairs after 1750, and his apprentice, William Savery (1722-1787), who made chairs of this type from 1750 to 1760.²

The present set of side chairs is associated with William Savery on the basis of a related side chair bearing Savery's label that was sold in these rooms, Important Americana from the Collection of Diane and Norman Bernstein, The Lindens, Washington, DC, January 22, 2006, sale 8160, lot 171. Born in 1722, Savery apprenticed to Solomon Fussel, from about 1735 to 1741, learning the chair- and cabinetmaking trades. In 1750, he was working as a "chairmaker" at a shop on Second Street between Chestnut and Market. He was appointed by Benjamin Franklin a ward assessor in 1754 and served as a supporter of the Friendly Association in 1756. His patrons included the fellow Quakers John Pemberton, the Drinkers, John Wilson, and Dr. Phineas Bond. He also was patronized by Abel and Rebecca (Chalkley) James, who maintained accounts with him, and John Cadwalader, his most famous client.³  He worked from his Second Street shop until his death in 1787 and his will and inventory suggest a level of success.

A similar Philadelphia armchair with early Rococo style features is in the collection of the U.S. Department of State.⁴ A side chair in the Queen Anne style exhibiting a related splat design and shell-carved crest and knees is illustrated in Blue Book Philadelphia Furniture as the property of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Cope Garrett.⁵  Several other Philadelphia early Rococo chairs are published in American Antiques from Israel Sack Collection.⁶

1 See William M. Hornor, Blue Book Philadelphia Furniture, Washington, D.C.: Highland House Publishers, 1977, p. 68.
² Benno M. Forman, "Delaware Valley 'Crookt foot' and Slat-Back Chairs: The Fussell-Savery Connection." In Winterthur Portfolio 15, edited by Ian M. G. Quimby, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980, p. 55, 58-9.
³ Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia: Three Centuries of American Art, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1976, p. 50.
⁴ See Clement Conger and Alexandra Rollins, Treasures of State, New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1991, no. 14, p. 96.
⁵ See Hornor, p. 304.
⁶ See Israel Sack Inc., American Antiques from Israel Sack Collection, Vol. III, P3417, p. 749, P3479, p. 802 and Vol. X, P6263, p. 2555.