signed and dated "Brian Boggs/Berea, KY 1982" on seat underside, turned red oak frame with woven hickory seat, 43-1/2 x 25 x 34-1/2 in., seat height 16 in.

Provenance: Collection of Rude Osolnik, Berea, Kentucky

Note: This rocking chair, along with the pair of high stools presented in lot 301, are among furniture designer and maker Brian Boggs' earliest known works. Based on traditional designs found in the Berea, Kentucky area, this chair was made during Brian?s first year of chairmaking. According to Brian: "These pieces are red oak, as were most of my early chairs. I cut all the hickory bark for the seats by hand myself. I had no electric tools yet and split all the wood from logs then drawknifed the parts to shape, including the slats. All slat mortises were hand chopped and rung holes drilled with a brace and bit. These were among the 300 or so chairs I made before I owned any electric tools. I signed very few of them.?Brian credits the early support from members of the Osolnik family as a ?huge factor? in his career launch: ?Joe [Osolnik] was my neighbor then as well as my first customer. I was actually a carpenter helping build his pottery studio in the summer of 1981 when he overheard me talking about chairmaking. He had a gallery in town (Promenade Gallery) and he was looking for handmade chairs to sell there. Having heard me talk about it, he asked to see some of my work. I had actually never made a chair at that point, just planning to get into it.He said he wanted to see one when I got going. That fall I was laid off my carpentry job as things slowed for the winter. I got right on to making a chair, showed it to Joe, and have had orders ever since.?For more information on Brian Boggs? work, visit: https://brianboggschairmakers.com/

good overall, structurally sound, frame with scattered surface scratches and edge bumps, some minor fraying to seat underside