Illus. 209.—Chippendale Settee, 1765-1770.
Illustration [209] shows a Chippendale settee with beautifully carved cabriole legs, owned by Harry Harkness Flagler, Esq. The three front legs are carved with the scroll foot turned to the front. This foot was called the French foot by the cabinet-makers of that period, about 1765-1770.
Illus. 210.—Double Chair, 1760.
Illustration [210] shows a double chair, also owned by Mr. Flagler. It has characteristics of various nationalities and styles, mainly Chippendale. The back consists of two chair backs, wider than arm-chair backs, which is almost always true of the double chair. The corners of the seat, and the ends of the top rails are rounding after the Dutch style, but the splats are Chippendale. The three front legs end in a small claw-and-ball, and the knees are carved. The most noticeable feature of this graceful piece is the rococo design at the top of the back and upon the front of the seat.
Illustration [211] shows a Chippendale double chair and one of four arm-chairs, formerly owned by Governor John Wentworth, whose household goods were confiscated and sold at auction by the Federal government, in 1776. Since that time these pieces have been in the Alexander Ladd house at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where they now stand. They are a perfect exemplification of Chippendale’s furniture in the Chinese style, and are probably the finest examples of that style in this country. They are of mahogany, with cane seats. The design of the backs is more elaborate than any of the Chinese designs for furniture of either Chippendale, Manwaring, Ince, or Mayhew; an unusual thing, for a majority of the designs in the old cabinet-makers’ books are far more elaborate than the furniture which has come down to us. Chippendale says that these “Chinese chairs are very suitable for a lady’s boudoir, and will likewise suit a Chinese temple.” One wonders if Governor Wentworth had a Chinese temple for these beautiful pieces of furniture. He had, we know, splendid gardens, which were famous in those days, and possibly a Chinese temple may have been one of the adornments, with these chairs for its furniture.
Illus. 211.—Chippendale Double Chair and Chair,
in “Chinese Taste,” 1760-1765.