Side Chair

Alexander Jackson Davis|Burns and Brother

ca. 1857 · Black walnut, modern upholstery · The American Wing

Alexander Jackson Davis, one of the preeminent architects of nineteenth-century America, worked in a range of revival styles. Unlike most architects of the time, he occasionally supplied furniture designs to select clients. This animated chair, which appears ready to spring from its diminutive hoof feet, is a version of a design he made for John J. Herrick, the owner of a castellated villa designed by Davis that once stood in Tarrytown, New York. Davis’s elegant chair artfully suggests and adapts the Gothic style, which was meant to convey the values of intellect, learned contemplation, and sophistication.

Artist

Alexander Jackson Davis|Burns and Brother

Date

ca. 1857

Medium

Black walnut, modern upholstery

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of Jane B. Davies, in memory of Lyn Davies, 1995