Side Chair
Medium
Rosewood
Dimensions
42 x 18 1/2 x 21 1/2 in. (106.7 x 47 x 54.6 cm)
Classification
Side Chair
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Sansbury-Mills Fund, 1979
Accession Number
1979.182
Art Historical Context
This elegant side chair, crafted around 1848 from rich rosewood, exemplifies mid-19th-century American ingenuity. Attributed to architect Alexander Jackson Davis in collaboration with cabinetmakers Burns and Trainque, it Davis's influence in blending architecture with furniture. Rosewood, an imported tropical hardwood prized for its durability and lustrous grain, was a luxurious choice that elevated everyday objects into statements of refinement, often seen in affluent American homes of the era. Housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Wing, the chair (measuring 42 x 18½ x 21½ inch...
About the Artist
Alexander Jackson Davis|Burns and Trainque · 1803–1892
Alexander Jackson Davis (1803–1892) was a pioneering American architect whose imaginative designs helped define the nation's picturesque country house tradition. Born in New York City on July 24, 1803, Davis received an informal education, studying drawing at the American Academy of the Fine Arts, the New-York Drawing Association, and the antique casts at the National Academy of Design. He apprent...