Charles Rohlfs

Dr. William J. Robinson, New York, NY, ca. 1897-1899
Dr. Victor Robinson, New York, NY, 1936
Thence by descent

Wendy Kaplan, The Art that is Life:  The Arts & Crafts Movement in America, 1875-1920, Boston, 1987, p. 240
Tod M. Volpe and Beth Cathers, Treasures of the American Arts and Crafts Movement: 1890-1920, New York, 1988, p. 47
Leslie Greene Bowman, American Arts & Crafts:  Virtue in Design, Los Angeles, 1990, pp. 44 and 60 (for a related example in the collection of LACMA)
David Cathers, Stickley Style:  Arts and Crafts Homes in the Craftsman Tradition, New York, 1999, p. 152
Joseph Cunningham, The Artistic Furniture of Charles Rohlfs, New Haven, CT, 2008, pp. XVI, XXII, 72, 74, 76, 142 and 202 (for related examples in the collections of Milwaukee Art Museum and Saint Louis Art Museum and related period documentation) 

Overall in very good condition. The mahogany surfaces appear to have been applied with a secondary finish many years ago (likely decades ago), which shows later wear patterns over this finish application. The wood surfaces throughout with light surface scratches, abrasions, and edge wear consistent with age and gentle use. When facing the chair, there is a very old small loss to the carved scrolled device on the lower right corner of the chair back. The top right finial was recently re-glued to the chair stile, and the central bottom stretcher was recently re-stabilized to the frame. Two of the small mahogany plugs on the front seat rail were missing and recently replaced (when facing the front seat rail, the plug located in the lower right corner, and the one located on the top right column of three plugs). There is some separation to the seat rails (only visible when viewing the chair from the underside), and there is a small triangular loss to the top front edge of the proper left seat rail. At some point in the chair's history, there is evidence that the seat rails were re-glued for stability, and two additional screws were used to stabilize the front seat rail to the proper left seat rail (only visible from the chair's underside). A superb early example of Rohlf's iconic hall chair design, displaying exceptional carving. This chair has remarkably remained in the same family since the time it was executed, and is believed to represent the prototype for all of the other known hall chairs by Rohlfs (see catalogue essay by Joseph Cunningham).
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.

The Hall Chair form is one of the most iconic designs of Charles Rohlfs.  The chair's bold silhouette, innovative structure, and extraordinary carved detail defy categorization and exemplify Rohlfs' dedication to individual expression.  The recent emergence of the present prototype for the Hall Chair provides an opportunity to examine an exquisite object and to analyze some details about the development of this important form.

The design of the chair stems from Rohlfs' earliest experimental furniture making, in 1897 and 1898, when the designer explored a variety of complex chair forms, including those with latticework leather seats and backs, fretted back splats, and molded seats and aprons.  Around this time, Rohlfs began creating a number of examples of this Hall Chair and an accompanying Rotating Desk, which he paired under the name Graceful Writing Set.  This pair of objects is the only production furniture of Rohlfs' career.  More than twenty examples of the two components of the Graceful Writing Set are known and examples are represented in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, Dallas Museum of Art, Detroit Institute of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Milwaukee Art Museum, Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, and Saint Louis Art Museum.  The chair offered here is likely the version that immediately preceded the production design of the form.

Structurally and in overall form, this prototype chair is very similar to extant examples of the production chair model and exceptional 1902 and 1904 variants, but it is the only known example of the Hall Chair made in mahogany, usually associated with fine furniture of the nineteenth century.  This prototype features defined fretting and elaborate carving—common among the best examples of the Hall Chair—but because mahogany is more easily carved than oak, this chair exhibits a highly unusual surface that conveys the design with uncommon precision and beauty.

A fully realized version of the Hall Chair form, just short of the final version, this prototype chair conveys the form beautifully but incorporates distinguishing elements that shed light on Rohlfs' design process.  The most distinctive design variation is in the ornamental motif in the backrest, where two conjoined elements create the stacked wings in the center, rather than a single split-winged element characteristic of the production models.  This chair presents a rare opportunity for a public or private collection to acquire an object that is at the center of Rohlfs' oeuvre but features unique details that would appeal to the most discriminating connoisseur.

—Joseph Cunningham, PhD, Curatorial Director of American Decorative Art 1900 Foundation, is author of the Artistic Furniture of Charles Rohlfs and curator of the accompanying exhibition, which is currently touring five museums across the United States.