Side Chair
Medium
Maple
Dimensions
26 x 17 1/4 x 12 1/4 in. (66 x 43.8 x 31.1 cm)
Classification
Side Chair
Culture
American, Shaker
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Friends of the American Wing Fund, 1966
Accession Number
66.10.5
Art Historical Context
Step into the serene world of Shaker craftsmanship with this Side Chair, crafted between 1840 and 186 by members of the United Society ofievers in Christ’s Secondaring, known as the Shakers. Made from sturdy maple—a hardwood prized for its durability and fine grain—this modest piece measures just 26 x 17¼ x 12¼ inches, perfectly scaled for everyday use in communal Shaker villages across 19th-century America. Shakers, a celibate religious sect founded in England and flourishing in the U.S., embodied their motto: "Hands to work, hearts to God." Their furniture rejected ornamentation in favor o...