Collection of Jean and Jim Barrow | May 20, 2023
Sat, May 20, 2023 09:00AM EDT
Lot 106
Massachusetts State House Chairs: A Rare Pair of Boston Federal Barrel Back Armchairs Documented to The Shop of George Bright, by Bill of Sale
Estimate: $20,000 - $30,000
Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 | $25 |
| $100 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $200 |
| $3,000 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,000 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
Boston, made for the Boston State House in 1797 by George Bright, each mahogany frame with deeply bowed back, burgundy leather upholstery with brass tacking, loose seat cushion, turned legs with brass casters, 34-1/2 x 22-1/4 in.
Note: In 1797, George Bright of Boston sold 30 chairs to “The agents for building the new State House, in Boston." A signed receipt survives, recording Bright's accepting payment, “To making 30 mahogany chairs and then...$240.” Chairs attributed to this historic group are now owned by The Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (two), The Bostonian Society (two), Winterthur Museum (two). Nine of the surviving chairs, including the two offered here, were examined in detail by Susan L. Buck, in her article "Variations in Boston State House Chairs” Maine Antiques Digest, April 1991. Slight variations in construction and measurement between the chairs examined in her report leaves open the possibility that more than one hand was at work in their creation.
The lot is accompanied by copies of Susan Buck's Technical and Stylistic Comparison Report, as well as the Israel Sack receipt and invoice.
Literature: Illustrated in Israel Sack Inc.'s, brochure, Opportunities and American Antiques, number 51, page 28.
Condition
As Susan Buck notes in her article, “Although an undeniably graceful form, the rounded structure of these chairs is inherently fragile. The chairs that have survived show evidence that they were ill suited to the rigors of use in a public building. Each curved rail and arm is constructed of one piece of mahogany, which is susceptible to breakage at the short grain sections in the curves.”
Like the other known existing chairs, the pair offered here have scattered restorations and repairs. The front feet are very slightly tipped out (under casters) and the rear feet are spliced 1 to 2 inches, one arm top with patch and restoration, other scattered cracks and repairs at curved arms, one chair with cracks and repairs at joint of back rail to rear stiles, some later pinning at rear legs, some later bracing at seat frames, one chair with some sun fading at back, other scattered upholstery scars at edges, upholstery tacking scars at edges, modern upholstery generally good with some light scuffs and wear, lacking one button on tufted cushion
Thomas Colville (Colville owned a total of four chairs, selling two to the State of Massachusetts and retaining two until they were handled by Israel Sack);
Israel Sack, purchased July 1997;
Collection of Jean and Jim Barrow
