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Side chair

1860–70
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 774
The pre-eminent New York cabinetmaking and decorating firm Herter Brothers designed this side chair in the 1860s. It is stylistically related to a suite of Herter seating furniture in the reception room of the Ruggles S. Morse mansion in Portland, Maine, Gustave Herter's first documented commission of 1858–60. The chair is constructed of carved rosewood highlighted with gilding. A stylized anthemion and two floral gilt-bronze mounts ornament the arched crest and beneath the tufted back is an unusual pierced rail embellished with a gold stippled surface. The band of marquetry along the seat rail is an often-used Herter Brothers pattern. This rich treatment was appropriate to the chair's intended function in a parlor or drawing room. Used to receive and entertain guests, the high-style drawing room contained furnishings such as this for use on formal occasions. Much of the seating furniture of this period had spring seats and deep tufting, upholstery techniques developed in mid-century France. The chair was part of a larger suite of furniture of which ten pieces survive: a sofa, two armchairs, four side chairs (of which this is one), an ottoman, a piano stool, and a related table.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Side chair
  • Maker: Herter Brothers (German, active New York, 1864–1906)
  • Date: 1860–70
  • Geography: Made in New York, New York, United States
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Rosewood; gilding
  • Dimensions: 36 x 20 x 21 3/8 in. (91.4 x 50.8 x 54.3 cm)
  • Credit Line: Purchase, William Cullen Bryant Fellows Gifts, 1994
  • Object Number: 1994.440
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

More Artwork

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Portiere
Herter Brothers (German, active New York, 1864–1906)
ca. 1878–80
Ottoman
Herter Brothers (German, active New York, 1864–1906)
ca. 1881–82
Armchair
Herter Brothers (German, active New York, 1864–1906)
ca. 1880
Side Chair
Herter Brothers (German, active New York, 1864–1906)
ca. 1878
Cabinet
Herter Brothers (German, active New York, 1864–1906)
ca. 1883

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