The Caspar Wistar very fine and rare Queen Anne carved and figured walnut side chair, School of William Savery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania circa 1750

Appears to retain its original surface. Chair marked II and slip seat frame marked II.

Caspar Wistar (1696-1752)

Thence by descent through his family

John S. Walton

Hornor, William M. Blue Book Philadelphia Furniture, Alexandria, VA, 1988, pl. 303 as the property of Mrs. Elmer Smith

The Magazine Antiques (August 1958): p. 92. John Walton advertisement

Chair II, seat II. Minor abrasion to legs and feet.
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.

Surviving in pristine condition and of exceptional craftsmanship, this Queen Anne side chair stems from a set of chairs that was originally owned by Caspar Wistar (February 3, 1696-March 21, 1752), a German-born glassmaker who later became one of the richest men in the Colonial Philadelphia-area. He emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1717 and worked at various manual trades before becoming a British subject in 1724 and joining the Society of Friends in 1726. He married Catherine Jansen in 1727 and they had seven children. With the help of Quaker merchants and political leaders, Wistar set up a glass factory in New Jersey and began buying land and selling it to new immigrants from Germany. His land deals made him one of the largest and wealthiest landowners of the area. His brother, John emigrated to Pennsylvania a decade after Caspar, who anglicized his name to Wistar, while John spelled his Wister. They each founded prominent Philadelphia-area families.

The knees of this chair are carved with an intaglio lambrequin, a motif found on several pieces of furniture labeled by or otherwise documented to William Savery (1722-1787), the Quaker cabinetmaker of Philadelphia. For an example, see a walnut side chair with Savery's label currently in the collection of Colonial Williamsburg (see Helen Comstock, American Furniture, Atglen, PA, 1962, no. 176). An armchair from the same set as this side chair also with a history of descent in the family of Caspar Wistar is currently in a private collection and illustrated with an attribution to Savery as a "masterpiece" in Albert Sack, The New Fine Points of Furniture, New York, 1993, p. 28. A side chair from the set is pictured with the aforementioned armchair in an Israel Sack advertisement in The Magazine Antiques, August 1960. The same splat pattern appears on a Queen Anne side chair at the Metropolitan Museum of Art illustrated in Morrison Heckscher, American Furniture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1985, no. 42, p. 87.