A Very Fine and Rare Chippendale Carved Mahogany Easy Chair, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, circa 1755

Retains a dark rich historic surface.

Mrs. Dorothy A. Quigley, Lock Haven, Pennsylvania;
Sotheby’s, New York, January 31, 1970, sale 2980, lot 115;
Private Collection;
Sotheby’s, Important American Furniture and Folk Art, December 8, 1984, sale 5228, lot 359.

Secondary wood is yellow pine and oak; the proper left side of wing chair has been opened up for examination: many of the interior members have been covered with glued on muslin; chair was once fitted with springing which has been removed; old surface on legs; arms over-stuffed; old marks and scratches consistent with age and use.
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.

Easy chairs were a luxury in the colonial home due to their significant upholstery costs and, as such, were likely specially commissioned by their wealthy owners. Derived from the French term aisie, meaning “conducive to ease or comfort,” the form originated in England in the 1600s and came into production in America from around 1720 and remained popular until the 1770s. As one of the first almost entirely upholstered furniture forms to arrive in America, its manufacture necessitated the cooperation of two different craftsmen, the cabinetmaker and the upholsterer. Such chairs were designed for comfort and intended for the bedchamber, where they were often upholstered in wool moreen, silk damask or embroidered needlework to match the bed hangings and window curtains.

With its tall shaped wings, C-scroll shaped arm supports, rounded front seat rail, front cabriole legs with acanthus-carved knees and claw feet, and rear legs with a pronounced rake, this example represents both the costliest form and highest achievement of Philadelphia chairmaking in the Rococo style. It is of superior quality and set apart from contemporaries by its elegant silhouette, rare vertical proportions, broad knees with exceptional high relief acanthus carving, and especially tall front cabriole legs with prominent claw feet.

A Philadelphia easy chair of the same design with related carving is illustrated as a “Masterpiece” in The New Fine Points of Furniture by Albert Sack (New York, 1993, p. 74). An earlier example in the Queen Anne style with a very similar silhouette sold at Sotheby’s, The Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Lammot Du Pont Copeland, January 19, 2002, sale 7757, lot 188. One at Winterthur Museum with related knee carving is pictured in Joseph Downs, American Furniture, Queen Anne and Chippendale Periods, New York, 1952, no. 91.