A Very Fine and Rare Chippendale Carved Mahogany Easy Chair, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Circa 1770

Mr. and Mrs. Walter K. Jeffords, New York;

Sotheby's, New York, The Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Walter M. Jeffords, October 28, 2004, sale 8016, lot 335;

Leigh Keno American Antiques, New York.

The serpentine crest, shaped wings, horizontally rolled arms, distinctive flared back-kicked legs, and front cabriole legs with carved knees and claw feet identify this easy chair as the most expensive version of its form made in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia price book for 1772 lists such chairs “with Claw feet & leaves on [the knees]” at £3-5-0 in mahogany. This example is notable for its low, broad proportions, high relief acanthus knee carving and claw feet with well-articulated talons.

A similar Philadelphia easy chair from the collection of Winterthur Museum was sold at Christie's, New York, Important American Furniture, Silver, Folk Art, and Decorative Arts, June 17, 1992, sale 7492, lot 176.