New York, 19th century, arched back, shaped splat, slip seat, 32-3/4 x 18 x 21 in.

Provenance: By direct descent of Ellen Clarke Manning, daughter of Sally Bland Clarke Manning, Possibly from Millford Plantation, South Carolina

Note:

Despite differences in the crest and splat, there are similarities between this chair and other known examples by Duncan Phyfe, including a French chair from a set of parlor seating furniture made by Phyfe for New York lawyer Samuel Alfred Foot, now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

This chair descended in the family of Ellen Clarke Manning, daughter of Sally Bland Clarke Manning, the second wife of Millford Plantation owner, John Laurence Manning. During the Civil War, Millford escaped destruction by Union troops and remained in the Manning family during Reconstruction. The plantation was sold to Mark Clark Thompson in 1902, in whose family it remained until 1992 when it was purchased by Richard Jenrette. He restored the house and reassembled much of its original furnishings; in 2008, the home became part of the Classical American Homes Preservation Trust, which is now known as the Richard Hampton Jenrette Foundation.