Side chair
On View In:
Gallery 332
Artist:   Possibly by Gilbert Ash  
Title:   Side chair  
Date:   c. 1750-1765  
Medium:   Mahogany, white pine, ash, mohair  
Dimensions:   38 1/2 x 20 x 16 1/2in. (97.8 x 50.8 x 41.9cm)  
Credit Line:   Gift of James F. and Louise H. Bell in Memory of James S. and Sallie M. Bell  
Location:   Gallery 332  

This chair may have been made for Johnson Hall, the home of Sir William Johnson, New York's Superintendent of Indian Affairs. It bears several features often found on New York chairs associated with Chippendale style: bold, almost square ball-and-claw feet; the diaper (diamond-patterned) carving on the knees of the legs; and rounded, tapered rear feet that end in square pads. The Yale University Art Gallery; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and Winterthur, Henry du Pont's museum in Winterthur, Delaware; and the Chipstone Foundation in Milwaukee each own a chair thought to be from this same group. New York City maker Gilbert Ash has been suggested as a possible maker, as their design relates to another chair attributed to him, and records indicate he made the case for an organ Johnson bought for his local church.

Artist/Creator(s)     
Name:   Ash, Gilbert  
Nationality:   American  
Life Dates:   American, 1717-1785  
 

Object Description  
  
Inscriptions:    
Classification:   Furniture  
Physical Description:   this chair is said to be one of a set of chairs owned by Sir William Johnson of Johnstown N.Y; see Catalog card and object file for details; black modern upholstery with cross-stitch flowers. This chair has been reupholstered to have pink fabric covering the seat.  
Creation Place:   North America, United States, , New York,  
Accession #:   31.15.12  
Owner:   The Minneapolis Institute of Arts