The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Armchair

This artwork is currently on display in Gallery 740

Description

Gothic Revival furniture is characterized by the reinterpretation and novel application of elements of Gothic building design to furniture and decorative objects. This boldly ornamented chair features an architecturally inspired pointed arch and a tracery back with a central rose-window design. The rose-window back is particularly striking: an architectural element executed in glass during the Gothic period (12th–15th century) is here recreated in intricately carved wood. The spiral turned legs and posts are based on Elizabethan motifs, then experiencing a revival as well.
Provenance

sale, Phillips, New York, 26 Sept. 1985, no. 198
See also
Who
John Joseph W. Meeks (2)
What
Wood (7,651)

Furniture (5,725)

Seating furniture (1,792)

Chairs (1,486)

Mahogany (974)

Armchairs (523)
Where
North and Central America (81,404)

United States (78,109)

New York (2,785)

New York City (1,835)
When
A.D. 1800-1900 (80,186)
In the Museum
American Decorative Arts (11,825)
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
The United States and Canada, 1800–1900 A.D.