Side chair
Carving attributed to Nicholas Bernard, Philadelphia, 1750-1755
Mahogany, pine and poplar
Purchase, Acquisitions Fund M 1973.154
Unlike many of the preceding fakes, which have components parts salvaged from period seating , this "Philadelphia" armchair is entirely new. Its basic design and carved details were derived from a well-known set of mid eighteenth-century Philadelphia side chairs reputedly used by George Washington in the presidential house in that city. The carving is by the same faker who produced the carved easy chair to the left. Both examples have leaves with excessively deep flutes and shading cuts that intersect at the tips in an unconventional manner. In contrast, the leaves n the knees of authentic Washington chairs, such as the one to the right, have precisely cut edges. The carved foliage also features carefully regulated convex and concave surfaces, and shading cuts that contribute to the flow of the design. Where as the eighteenth-century carver worked intuitively, efficiently , and quickly, the faker struggled to mimic period work. Although the side chair on the right is an authentic Washington chair, it has suffered some repairs and replacements over the years. The cabinetmaker who executed these repairs, however, did not try to disguise his work and pass it off as original to the piece.
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Evidence
of old alterations One owner of this side hair decided to add arms to it, as seen by the batches in both the rear stiles and side seat rails. A later owner chose to remove those historically inaccurate arms. |
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Timid, weak, and unconvincing carving |
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Replaced
foot At one point in the history of this chair, its foot was replaced, as seen by the crooked splice joint and the difference in the shape of the claw-and-ball- foot. |
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Details of the knee carvings On the left is a deatil of the 1962 arm chair and on the right the Philadelphia Side Chair |