Wainscot Chair
1 of 4
Object Label
Most traditional Ainu clothing is woven from locally available plant materials. The body of this robe is in a fabric called attush, made with fibers harvested from the inner bark of young elm trees. Robes worn on special occasions were decorated with cotton and silk, which had to be purchased from foreign merchants. Like most Ainu ceremonial robes, this one has decoration on the cuffs, around the hem, and on the back. The thorn-shaped motifs of the embroidery were thought to play a protective role and were placed in areas where the wearer might be more vulnerable.
Caption
American. Wainscot Chair, second half 17th century. Painted oak, 48 1/8 x 26 3/4 x 23 1/2 in. (122.2 x 67.9 x 59.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Dick S. Ramsay Fund, 51.158. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.51.158.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Culture
Title
Wainscot Chair
Date
second half 17th century
Geography
Possible place made: Massachusetts, United States
Medium
Painted oak
Classification
Dimensions
48 1/8 x 26 3/4 x 23 1/2 in. (122.2 x 67.9 x 59.7 cm)
Markings
unmarked
Credit Line
Dick S. Ramsay Fund
Accession Number
51.158
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
Frequent Art Questions
Can you tell me a bit about these two chairs?
The goal of this installation is to showcase how European conceptions of chair have influenced and are influenced by African and non-Western seat design. As well as the cross cultural importance implied by sitting in a chair. Often times you'll see only the most important person in a room gets to sit in a chair -- to the left you'll see an American example and to the right you'll see an Asante example.For the Asante , chairs and stools play a key role in stately regalia. Based on European furniture forms this type of chair represents the stability and commitment of a chief or king. The two finials on the top rear of the char are thought to represent an eagle’s talons and further reference to power of the seated individual. I personally love the highly ornamental use of the brass tacks. Kings and court officials had to sit in a highly prescribed symmetrical pose to embody stately grace and composure.As you may have read on the label the American Wainscot Chair was intended for the most important person in the house -- and also took comfort second to the appearance of power and grace.
Have information?
Have information about an artwork? Contact us at