possibly William Fiske, Boston, circa 1800, inner seat rails with "WF" brand, old surfaces, shield back crest rails carved with fruit baskets, three foliate carved splats intersected with oval fan paterae, molded front legs, stretcher base, embroidered floral motif over the rail upholstery, 37-3/4 x 21-1/4 x 21-3/4 in.
Provenance: Darlene Morris, Tucson, Arizona, November 2007 (accompanied by copy of receipt for $7,500); Private Arizona Collection
Note: A related pair (B.69.378.2) in the Bayou Bend Collection, Houston, Texas, is nearly identical, differing only in front leg treatment. Bayou Bend connects this example to a broader group sharing this crest rail form, including a chair stamped IC illustrated in Charles Montgomery, American Furniture: The Federal Period (1966), pp. 89–90, no. 35, and tentatively associates the SF/WF brands with Boston cabinetmakers Samuel Fiske (d. 1797) and his son William (1770–1844).
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Darlene Morris, Tucson, Arizona, November 2007 (accompanied by copy of receipt for $7,500); Private Arizona Collection
scattered repairs throughout including repairs to breaks at crest rails, back and stile joints, and upper legs, upholstery with stains and wear, both frames slightly unstable, surface wear throughout
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