Armchair
Duncan Phyfe
1830–35 · Mahogany, cherry, ash · The American Wing
The plush high back with crotch-veneered tablet and sweeping scrolled arms of this sleek, mahogany chair illustrate the Phyfe workshop’s experimentation with variations of French fauteuils. The Phyfes’ inspiration may have emerged from the popular designs by Pierre de la Mésangère in his serial Collection de Meubles et Objets de Goût (1820–1831). The armchair bears resemblance to number 638 "Fauteuil de Salon" in volume one of Meubles…(1802-1807) and number 320 "Fauteuil d’Appartament" in volume one (1810-1812). According to family tradition this chair, one of a pair (see 1971.128.1), stood in Duncan Phyfe's house on Fulton Street before descending to his great-granddaughter, Emma Phyfe Purdy (b. 1855), then to subsequent owners.
- Artist
- Duncan Phyfe
- Date
- 1830–35
- Medium
- Mahogany, cherry, ash
- Culture
- American
- Department
- The American Wing
- Credit line
- Gift of Mrs. Alfred Joltin, in memory of Ida Louise Opdycke, 1971
