A pair of American rosewood side chairs New York, circa 1874, by the Herter Brothers

 

Commissioned by James Goodwin for The Woodlands, Hartford, Connecticut;
Thence by descent.

A fine example of the Herter output in overall good condition. One chair with a repaired break to the back seat rail. The other with an age crack running along the right return. With minor 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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Built in 1871-74 for James Goodwin (1803-1878), The Woodlands was the largest house in Hartford, and a residence fit for one of Connecticut’s most eminent families. It was designed by Frederick Clarke Withers (1828-1901), the English church architect, together with Goodwin’s son, the Reverend Francis (1839-1923), a fervent advocate of high Victorian Gothic.

By the time Herter Brothers was commissioned the furnishing of part of the interiors, including the imposing parlour and at least two bedrooms, the firm had already been employed by some of the country’s wealthiest patrons, including J. Pierpont Morgan, a cousin of the Goodwins. With its gentle, understated take on British Aestheticism, and emphasis on the solidness of timber, the furniture provided by Herter Brothers for The Woodlands sought to mitigate the stern exterior of the house, and to mirror those spiritual and family values already echoed in English reform design.

The Woodlands remained in the hands of the Goodwin family until 1939, when it was sold and successively razed to the ground. Part of the furniture was given to the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, where the parlour has been reconstructed in its entirety.

A side chair closely related to the present lot, and also made for one of the bedrooms at Woodlands, now in the Masinter collection, is illustrated in Howe et al., op. cit., p. 175; another, previously with Margot Johnson, Inc., New York, offered at Bonhams New York, 23 June 2011, lot 3153. A similar two-drawer writing table with the same provenance now at the Wadsworth Atheneum; a related table, circa 1875, sold at Sotheby’s New York, 30 October 2003, lot 155. ($14,000)

The marquetry of the rosewood headboard on lot 295, with stylised flowers and foliage springing from a vase with horizontal band, appears to be the precursor of a pattern further developed towards the end of the 1870s, and which became a trademark of the firm, to be deployed most notably on the bedstead made for Arabella Worsham Huntington (ca. 1881-84) now at the Saint Louis Art Museum. For a coeval version of this marquetry design, see a cabinet made for George Beale Sloan and now at the Brooklyn Museum, New York (ill. in Howe, op. cit., p. 163).