Armchair (Poltrona da parata)
furniture maker
Unknown
Date1650-1699
Place MadeLombardo-Veneto, Italy, Europe
MediumWalnut and pine
Dimensions117.5 x 69 x 44 cm (46 1/4 x 27 3/16 x 17 5/16 in.)
ClassificationsFurniture
Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Accession numberF25w48
eMuseum ID722189
EmbARK ObjectID12076
TMS Source ID1224
Last Updated8/14/24
Status
Not on viewWeb Commentary
This chair, from the Lombardy or Veneto region of Italy, has turned baluster legs, arm supports, stiles, and an H-stretcher. In contrast to these compact, organized forms, the front stretcher is boldly carved with large, dramatic leaves that intertwine and project outward. The curved arms descend from the brackets carved with large leaves that curl forward.
The leather upholstery is not original and was probably added at the end of the 19th century. Isabella purchased the chair in Venice.
BibliographyNotesGilbert Wendel Longstreet and Morris Carter. General Catalogue (Boston: 1935), p. 237. (Italian, possibly Lombard)
Fausto Calderai and Alan Chong. Furnishing a Museum: Isabella Stewart Gardner’s Collection of Italian Furniture (Boston: 2011), p. 237, no. 111.
Sarah Towers, "The Secrets Revealed by the Long Gallery Stools' Conservation," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 28 June 2022, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/secrets-revealed-long-gallery-stools-conservation
Fausto Calderai and Alan Chong. Furnishing a Museum: Isabella Stewart Gardner’s Collection of Italian Furniture (Boston: 2011), p. 237, no. 111.
Sarah Towers, "The Secrets Revealed by the Long Gallery Stools' Conservation," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 28 June 2022, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/secrets-revealed-long-gallery-stools-conservation
ProvenanceNotesPurchased by Isabella Stewart Gardner from the antiques dealers Moisè Dalla Torre and Co., Venice on 1 September 1899 for 190 lire (with F25w42).