Side chair (one of a pair)
One of a pair of elegant and light side chairs in the neoclassical style. Each with a shaped back framing a pierced lyre-form splat over a horseshoe shaped seat upholstered in green velvet. The chairs are supported on fluted round tapering legs. Chairs with lyre-shaped backs became quite fashionable during the late eighteenth century continued to remain popular in the nineteenth century. Although this pair is unsigned, identical chairs were made by Georges Jacob (1739–July 5, 1814), one of the most prominent Parisian menuisiers. Given their scale, this pair may have been used in one of the smaller private rooms or possibly in a music salon.
They were part of the model collection of woodwork, paneling and seat furniture of Maison Leys, a successful decorating business, located at the Place de la Madeleine in Paris. Since 1885 the business was directed by Georges Hoentschel who installed the collection in 1903 in a museum-like display at Boulevard Flandrin, Paris. Three years later, Hoentschel sold the collection to J. Pierpont Morgan who gave the side chairs with the rest of the decorator’s seventeenth and eighteenth century objects to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1907.
They were part of the model collection of woodwork, paneling and seat furniture of Maison Leys, a successful decorating business, located at the Place de la Madeleine in Paris. Since 1885 the business was directed by Georges Hoentschel who installed the collection in 1903 in a museum-like display at Boulevard Flandrin, Paris. Three years later, Hoentschel sold the collection to J. Pierpont Morgan who gave the side chairs with the rest of the decorator’s seventeenth and eighteenth century objects to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1907.
Artwork Details
- Title: Side chair (one of a pair)
- Date: ca. 1780
- Culture: French
- Medium: Walnut, painted grey; velvet upholstery
- Dimensions: Overall: 36 1/2 × 17 1/4 × 17 3/4 in. (92.7 × 43.8 × 45.1 cm)
- Classification: Woodwork-Furniture
- Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1906
- Object Number: 07.225.497b
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
French
ca. 1780
Multiple artists/makers
1784
French, Paris
ca. 1690–1710
Jean-Baptiste III Lelarge
ca. 1775–80
British
ca. 1685–88
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.