Comb-back Windsor armchair
Unknown Artist
ca. 1770
Medium
Yew and elm wood
Dimensions
Overall (confirmed): 44 1/8 × 23 1/2 × 26 1/2 in. (112.1 × 59.7 × 67.3 cm); Height (seat height): 18 in. (45.7 cm)
Classification
Woodwork-Furniture
Culture
British
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Friends of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts Gifts, 2015
Accession Number
2015.501
Art Historical Context
Step into the elegant simplicity of 18th-century British domestic life with this Comb-back Windsor armchair, crafted around 1770 from yew and elm wood. at 44 1/8 inches tall with a comfortable 18-inch seat height, graceful balloon-back crest rail and slender, splayed legs exemplify the iconic Windsor form. Produced by unknown rural artisans, these chairs were hallmarks of vernacular furniture, blending functionality with understated charm in Georgian-era homes, taverns, and gardens. The armchair's construction highlights masterful woodworking techniques suited to the woods' natural properties...