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Spindle-back armchair

1640–80

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 708

The rarest and grandest of the early turned chairs are those with rows of spindles below the seat as well as above it. Although its boxlike form may look simple at first glance, this chair is a complex composition with subtle variations in the shaping of the rungs and in the spacing of its horizontal and vertical members.

Spindle-back armchair, Ash, American — Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

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Title: Spindle-back armchair

Date: 1640–80

Geography: Possibly made in Boston, Massachusetts, United States; Possibly made in Charlestown, Massachusetts, United States

Culture: American

Medium: Ash

Dimensions: 44 3/4 x 23 1/2 x 15 3/4 in. (113.7 x 59.7 x 40 cm)

Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. J. Insley Blair, 1951

Accession Number: 51.12.2

Essay

American Furniture, 1620-1730: The Seventeenth-Century and William and Mary Styles

Chronology

The United States, 1600-1800 A.D.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Vol. 9, The United States of America

"A Bicentennial Treasury: American Masterpieces from the Metropolitan": The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 33, no. 4 (Winter, 1975–1976)

The American Wing at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

American Furniture in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Vol. I, Early Colonial Period: The Seventeenth-Century and William and Mary Styles

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The American Wing at The Met

The American Wing's ever-evolving collection comprises some 20,000 works by African American, Euro American, Native American, and Latin American artists, ranging from the colonial to early-modern period.

Spindle-back armchair

Open Access

API

Artwork Details

Timeline of Art History

American Furniture, 1620-1730: The Seventeenth-Century and William and Mary Styles

The United States, 1600-1800 A.D.

Museum Publications

The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Vol. 9, The United States of America

"A Bicentennial Treasury: American Masterpieces from the Metropolitan": The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 33, no. 4 (Winter, 1975–1976)

The American Wing at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

American Furniture in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Vol. I, Early Colonial Period: The Seventeenth-Century and William and Mary Styles

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Spindle-back armchair

Open Access

API

Artwork Details

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Timeline of Art History

Museum Publications

Related Artworks

Resources for Research

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