Early 18th Century Side Chair
The
Bronck Museum & Barns
recently acquired this early 18th century chair from a
descendent of the 1663 stone house. The chair was covered
with red silk and cotton fabric. A companion is owned by
the
Albany Institute & History of
Art
that still retains its original leather upholstery.
The overall front and back of the chair before
treatment.
Protected on the reverse side of the red velvet are small
pieces of the embroidery threads used to decorate the
chair's back. The design had been worked with chenille
threads.
Nicely attached to the underside of the chair's seat was
this leather fragment. The leather had been attached to the
lower section of the inside back. The holes in the leather
perfectly matched the holes in the wood frame that were
revealed once the red velvet upholstery layers were
removed. Leather was a common upholstery show cover for
this time period. The chair back also has an interesting
slot located just below the crest rail.
