Armchair (Renaissance Revival style)
Decorative Arts and Design
On View: American Art Galleries, 5th Floor, Several Seats
This chair was probably made in Milan, Italy, where there was a long tradition of elaborately inlaid furniture. Several versions of the chair are known with American family coats-of-arms and iconography, such as busts of Indians, incorporated into the marquetry, suggesting that these chairs were made specifically for the American market.
MEDIUM
Ebony, aspen, yellow pine, ivory, mother-of-pearl, modern upholstery
DATES
ca. 1875
DIMENSIONS
39 x 25 7/8 x 26 3/8 in. (99.1 x 65.7 x 67 cm)
(show scale)
MARKINGS
no marks
SIGNATURE
no signature
INSCRIPTIONS
no inscriptions
ACCESSION NUMBER
71.95
CREDIT LINE
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. George N. Richard
PROVENANCE
Prior to 1971, provenance not yet documented; by 1971, acquired by George N. Richard and Mrs. George N. Richard (possibly Helen Menken Richard) of New York, NY; 1971, gift of Mr. and Mrs., George N. Richard to the Brooklyn Museum.
Provenance FAQ
CAPTION
Armchair (Renaissance Revival style), ca. 1875. Ebony, aspen, yellow pine, ivory, mother-of-pearl, modern upholstery, 39 x 25 7/8 x 26 3/8 in. (99.1 x 65.7 x 67 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. George N. Richard, 71.95. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 71.95_threequarter_PS20.jpg)
IMAGE
threequarter, 71.95_threequarter_PS20.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2024
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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we welcome any additional information you might have.
What style is this piece?
This armchair is considered to be in the Renaissance Revival style. It was created around 1875, likely in Milan, Italy, but is based on Italian designs of approximately the 15th century. Artists of the Italian Renaissance, in turn, were looking to Classical art (ancient Greece and Rome) for inspiration. The figures on the side of the chair are quite Classical!
Thanks!
What's the iconography about? Is it particular to the family? Or a popular story?
The imagery does not likely belong to a specific myth, story, or coat of arms but rather is a reference to Renaissance aesthetics from which this chair draws its inspiration. It is in the Renaissance Revival style.
Other indicators of Renaissance Revival furniture are classical motifs such as columns, capitals, and carved animal heads.
Thank you!
