Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
1886.1 |
Object Name |
Chair |
Title |
Spanish-style Lounge Chair |
Artist |
Unknown |
Place of Origin |
Possibly Philadelphia, Pennsylvania or New York, New York |
Date |
1820-30 |
Description |
Empire mahogany upholstered reclining chair of Roman curule form with rounded X-form profile of opposing scrolls which flair backward slightly along tall back. Arms roll downward into comma-shaped open scrolls which contrast with scroll of seat. X-shaped, curved legs are of square section and end in casters. Medallion is separate from chair, but rests on top. (Murphy D. Smith, "Due Reverence," 1992). |
Label |
This lounge chair was used at Point Breeze, the New Jersey home of Joseph Bonaparte, Comte de Survilliers, and one-time king of Naples and Spain. Bonaparte was the elder brother of Napoleon, Emperor of France. After the British defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo, Joseph fled to America in 1816. He settled in Philadelphia and eventually established a home in Bordentown, New Jersey. After his first house burned down unexpectedly, Bonaparte built another, which one visitor described as the finest residence in the country after the White House. Bonaparte was elected to the APS, and befriended many notable Philadelphia figures. When he arrived in the United States, he brought a large collection of fine art and furniture, and also purchased or commissioned many items during his long stay. This chair was likely made in Philadelphia or New York between 1820 and 1830. It is similar in style to the "Campeche" style of lounge chairs, commonly seen in Louisiana and Latin America. Campeche chairs have a reclining back and seat and a lateral, nonfolding curule base (consisting of x-shaped curved legs), but the seating was usually made from leather, unlike this upholstered version. Before returning to Europe in 1832, Bonaparte gave many of his possessions to his friends, including APS member Nathaniel Chapman, his personal physician and closest friend in America. |
Material |
Mahogany and upholstery |
Dimensions |
H-38.5 W-27 D-37 inches |
Credit line |
American Philosophical Society. Gift at the bequest of Dr. George Hamilton, 1886. |
Search Terms |
19th century nineteenth century furniture |