Harvard Art Museums > 2003.53: Essex County Chair Furniture Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Essex County Chair (Unidentified Artist) , 2003.53,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Jan 09, 2025, https://hvrd.art/o/141657. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Gallery Text “Great” chairs were the largest chairs in a colonial home. They were reserved for the eldest person or head of the household. This fine example of a turned great chair is the oldest piece of joined furniture in the museums’ American collections. In “turned” furniture, wooden posts and rails (also called spindles) are shaped by a series of chisels and gouges while being turned on a lathe. Often composed from spindles of different woods, the chair would have thick varnishes and paints routinely applied to give it a unified appearance. Ongoing research reveals the chair’s adaptive re-use over 350 years of existence. The rush seat has been replaced at least twice; at one time, the seat was upholstered. In the 18th or the 19th century, the finials on the front posts were lost or removed and the leg posts were intruded upon to attach wooden wheels. This was a common practice to make the chair serve as a walking aid for elders or for young children. Identification and Creation Object Number 2003.53 People Unidentified Artist Title Essex County Chair Other Titles Alternate Title: "Great" Chair Classification Furniture Work Type chair Date 1660-1690 Places Creation Place: North America, United States, Massachusetts Culture American Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/141657 Location Location Level 2, Room 2240, European and American Art, 17th–19th century, The Arts in the Eighteenth–Century Atlantic World View this object's location on our interactive map Physical Descriptions Medium Maple with undentified hardwoods Dimensions 100.8 x 57.2 x 45.7 cm (39 11/16 x 22 1/2 x 18 in.) Provenance Recorded Ownership History Philip H. Budrose, Marblehead, MA; sold to Anne H. and Frederick Vogel, III, Milwaukee, WI, 1975; their gift to Fogg Museum, 2003. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Anne H. and Frederick Vogel, III Accession Year 2003 Object Number 2003.53 Division European and American Art Contact am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Exhibition History Craftways: English Artisans in Seventeenth-Century New England, Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, 02/08/2007 - 05/28/2007 32Q: 2240 18th Century, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 08/06/2024 - 01/01/2050 Verification Level This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
