Rare Pair of Samuel Gragg 'Elastic' Chairs, Boston, circa 1808

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Rare Pair of Samuel Gragg 'Elastic' Chairs, Boston, circa 1808

About the Item

A rare pair of painted ash and hickory painted bentwood chairs by Samuel Gragg (American, 1772-1855), made in Boston, circa 1808, one with distressed early finish, the other with restored and repainted surface, as seen in photographs. Samuel Gragg is best known for his “Patent” bentwood “Elastic” chairs, for which he received a Federal patent in 1808. He also made “bamboo, fancy and commmon Chairs and Settes , all made of the best materials in the most faithful manner” as described on his trade card and in advertisements from the period. Stylistically, Gragg’s “elastic” furniture may have drawn its inspiration from the Classical movement sweeping early Federal America, especially the furniture forms of ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, and most particularly the famous “klismos” chair. Among the most emblematic of early 'modern' furniture from the Federal period, these chairs anticipate by decades the use of bentwood in furniture styles and production. With perhaps a few dozen examples of these chairs surviving, most are in museums. These two were part of a set of four deaccessioned from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Provenance: Early history unknown; by 1970, collection of Charlotte L. (Mrs. Ralph) Lowell, Westwood, Massachusetts; 1971; given to the Museum (accession date March 10, 1971), and retaining their museum accession numbers in red on the back rails. Gragg is known to have made three sets of bentwood furniture, according to Patricia Kane's article "Samuel Gragg: His Bentwood Fancy Chairs," in the Yale University Art Gallery Bulletin 33 (Autumn 1971). For further reference material, please see "The Incredible Elastic Chairs of Samuel Gragg" by Michael Podmaniczky in the Winter 2003 issue of Winterthur Magazine, pages 14 to 18 (Winterthur organized an exhibition of Gragg’s Elastic Furniture in the spring of 2003. The exhibition also traveled to the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Peabody Essex Museum.) What is believed to be Gragg’s copy of the 1808 patent may be found at the Carrier Library at James Madison Univeristy, Harrisonburg, Virginia. Height: 32 1/4" Width: 17 1/4" Depth: 21 1/2"

Dimensions:
Height: 32.25 in (81.92 cm)Width: 17.25 in (43.82 cm)Depth: 21.5 in (54.61 cm)
Sold As:
Set of 2
Style:
Federal (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Ash,Hickory,Painted
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
1800-1809
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1808
Condition:
One chair in early distressed surface, the other repainted, as seen in photographs.
Seller Location:
Essex, MA
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU83771644972