William and Mary Black-Painted Turned and Carved Maple and Ash Banister-Back Armchair, Salem, Massachusetts, Circa 1720

Banisters replaced.

Henry V. Weil, New York;
Mrs. J. Insley Blair, Tuxedo Park, New York;
Mrs. Screven Lorillard, New Jersey.

Small chips and wear to the turnings of the finials to cresting; proper right arm detached at stile and armrest support; front proper left leg with three plugs at join with seat rail; the central stretcher with large old chip to the center turning; the feet with chips and wear to extremities; proper right foot with bottom 3/4 inch replaced; overall with some old marks and scratches.
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 exceptional banister-back armchair is remarkable for the tremendous size of its turned stretchers and rarity.  For decades this armchairs was identified as being made in New York.  However recently Robert Trent and Erik Gronning using related seating furniture conclusively proved that this chair was in fact produced in Salem, Massachusetts (see Robert F. Trent, Erik Gronning and Alan Andersen, "The Gaines Attributions and Baroque Seating in Northeastern New England,"  American Furniture, ed. Luke Beckerdite, (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Chipstone Foundation, 2010), pp. 140-193).  As identified by Trent, Gronning and Anderson, two primary crest designs were prominent.  This chair's crest has flatter C-scrolls and paired shading cuts.

Exhibited:

New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, A Loan Exhibition of New York State Furniture, Metropolitan Museum of Art, February 5 - April 22, 1934, no. 36
New York, Museum of the City of New York, Furniture by New York Cabinetmakers: 1650 to 1860, November 15, 1956 - March 3, 1957, no. 19

Literature:

Henry V. Weil, advertisement, The Antiquarian, June 1930, nos. 14, 6;
Helen Comstock, American Furniture:  Seventeenth, Eighteenth, and Nineteenth Centuries Styles, Atglen, Pennsylvania, Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., 1962, no. 38;
Robert Bishop, Centuries and Styles of The American Chair: 1640-1970, New York, E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1972, p. 55, no. 53;
Robert F. Trent, Erik Gronning and Alan Andersen, "The Gaines Attributions and Baroque Seating in Northeastern New England,"  American Furniture, ed. Luke Beckerdite, (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Chipstone Foundation, 2010), pp. 169-175, figs. 51, 52 and 84.