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Side Chair

Attributed to Benjamin Randolph American
Possibly carved by Hercules Courtenay American
ca. 1769
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 752
This magnificently carved chair is part of a suite of furniture made for the Second Street house of General John Cadwalader (1742–1786), which was reputed to have the richest parlor furnishings in pre-Revolutionary Philadelphia. In its ample proportions, saddle seat, and scalloped skirts, the chair is English, but its construction and naturalistic carving are pure Philadelphia.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Side Chair
  • Maker: Attributed to Benjamin Randolph (American, 1737–1792)
  • Maker: Possibly carved by Hercules Courtenay (American (born England), 1744–1784)
  • Date: ca. 1769
  • Geography: Made in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Mahogany, northern white cedar; upholstery (modern)
  • Dimensions: 37 x 22 1/2 x 23 in. (94 x 57.2 x 58.4 cm)
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Sansbury-Mills and Rogers Funds, Emily Crane Chadbourne Gift, Virginia Groomes Gift, in memory of Mary W. Groomes, Mr. and Mrs. Marshall P. Blankarn, John Bierwirth and Robert G. Goelet Gifts, The Sylmaris Collection, Gift of George Coe Graves, by exchange, Gift of Mrs. Russell Sage, by exchange, and funds from various donors, 1974
  • Object Number: 1974.325
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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