Armchair (one of a pair)
Unknown Artist
ca. 1730
Medium
Gilded beech
Dimensions
H. 39-1/2 x W. 25-5/8 x D. 22 in. (100.3 x 65.1 x 55.9 cm)
Classification
Woodwork-Furniture
Culture
French
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 1971
Accession Number
1971.206.12
Art Historical Context
This elegant armchair, one of a matching pair crafted by an unknown artist around 1730, exemplifies refined artistry of early 18th-century French. Standing at nearly 40 inches tall, with a comfortable width of 25-5/8 inches and depth of 22 inches, was designed for grandeur in aristocratic salons or boudoirs. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Department of European Sculpture and Decor Arts, it entered the collection as a generous gift from Mr. and. Charles Wrightsman 1971. Fashioned from gilded beech—a lightweight yet sturdy hardwood—the chair's surface gleams with a lavish layer of g...