GREENE AND GREENE | Rocking Chair from the Charles Millard Pratt House, Ojai, California

Charles Millard Pratt and Mary Seamoor Morris Pratt, Ojai, California, 1912-1947
Eleanor I. Palmer, by acquisition of the house and contents, 1948
Harley and Jennie Culbert, by acquisition of the house and contents, 1954
Christie's New York, Important American Architectural Designs & Commissions, June 14, 1985, lot 141
Acquired from the above by the present owner

A "New and Native" Beauty: The Art and Craft of Greene and Greene, The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, California, October 18, 2008-January 26, 2009; Renwick Gallery, Washington, D.C., March 13-June 7, 2009; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, July 14-October 18, 2009

Randell L. Makinson, Greene & Greene: Architecture as a Fine Art, Salt Lake City, 1977, p. 173
Randell L. Makinson, Greene & Greene: Furniture and Related Designs, Salt Lake City, 1979, p. 96
Edward R. Bosley, Greene & Greene, London, 2000, p. 130

Overall very good condition. The wood displays a warm brown tone which is deeper and richer when viewed firsthand compared to the printed catalogue illustration. The wood surfaces throughout with occasional minor surface scratches, abrasions and light surface wear consistent with age and gentle use. As expected the front and back ends of the rocking rails with more concentrated wear. The chair with some very light traces of surface soiling concentrated to the recessed contours of the design. The second lowest crossrail with a very small clear accretion on the left side, only visible upon close inspection and not visually detractive. The proper right armrest with a small hairline crack (aprox 6 inches long encircling the arm post) near the join between the armrest and vertical post. This hairline has been professionally conserved and stabilized by a leading Arts & Crafts furniture conservator and is only visible upon very close inspection. The original leather seat is in remarkably good condition with expected wear, discolorations, craquelure, lifting and flaking to the surface, consistent with age and gentle use. A gorgeous rocking chair by Greene & Greene from one of their most illustrious commissions, displaying superb design quality, masterful workmanship and exquisitely articulated inlays. Both the front and back sides of the top chair rail are inlaid to depict a stylized gnarled tree in a variety of burled hardwoods.
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.