Chair (Sedia) Painted with Figures
furniture maker
Unknown
Date1725-1749
Place MadeRome, Lazio, Italy, Europe
MediumPainted walnut
Dimensions109 x 52.5 x 45.5 cm (42 15/16 x 20 11/16 x 17 15/16 in.)
ClassificationsFurniture
Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Accession numberF15e2.11
eMuseum ID730251
Original NumberF15c9-s
EmbARK ObjectID13179
TMS Source ID2178
Last Updated8/14/24
Status
Not on viewWeb CommentaryThe slats on this set of chairs are delightfully painted with various figures in exotic ancient Middle Eastern, African, or Asian garb. Although painted furniture is often connected with Venice, the chairs possess an unusual mixture of stylistic forms and decorative designs, and may have been made in central Italy, perhaps Lucca or Rome.
Isabella Stewart Gardner first placed the chairs in her Chinese Room, where they accorded beautifully with the eclectic mixture of Japanese and Chinese objects, as well as nineteenth-century paintings.They are now arranged among painted cassone and altarpieces. Gentile Bellini’s Seated Scribe, displayed in the same gallery, strengthens the links between the arts of Italy and the East.
Source: Fausto Calderai, "Chairs," in Eye of the Beholder, edited by Alan Chong et al. (Boston: ISGM and Beacon Press, 2003): 129.
Isabella Stewart Gardner first placed the chairs in her Chinese Room, where they accorded beautifully with the eclectic mixture of Japanese and Chinese objects, as well as nineteenth-century paintings.They are now arranged among painted cassone and altarpieces. Gentile Bellini’s Seated Scribe, displayed in the same gallery, strengthens the links between the arts of Italy and the East.
Source: Fausto Calderai, "Chairs," in Eye of the Beholder, edited by Alan Chong et al. (Boston: ISGM and Beacon Press, 2003): 129.
BibliographyNotesGilbert Wendel Longstreet and Morris Carter. General Catalogue (Boston, 1935), p. 90. (Venetian)
“Notes, Records, Comments.” Gardner Museum Calendar of Events 8, no. 6 (11 Oct. 1964), p. 2. (Venetian, mid 16th century)
George L. Stout. Treasures from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston, 1969), pp. 108-9. (Venetian, about 1760)
Rollin van N. Hadley. Museums Discovered: The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. (Boston, 1981), pp. 190-91. (Venetian, mid 18th century)
Alvar González-Palacios. "Il mobile di corte italiano: un racconto futile per persone serie: 3. La retorica barocca." Antiquariato (1985), p. 64. (Roman, mid 18th century)
Ellenor Alcorn et al. The Best of the Decorative Arts. Exploring Treasures in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum IV. Exh. cat. (Boston: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 1992), pp. 18-19. (possibly Venice, about 1740)
Alan Chong et al. (eds.) Eye of the Beholder: Masterpieces from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston, 2003), p. 129. (Italian, mid 18th century)
Fausto Calderai and Alan Chong. Furnishing a Museum: Isabella Stewart Gardner’s Collection of Italian Furniture (Boston, 2011), pp. 102-5, no. 32.
“Notes, Records, Comments.” Gardner Museum Calendar of Events 8, no. 6 (11 Oct. 1964), p. 2. (Venetian, mid 16th century)
George L. Stout. Treasures from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston, 1969), pp. 108-9. (Venetian, about 1760)
Rollin van N. Hadley. Museums Discovered: The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. (Boston, 1981), pp. 190-91. (Venetian, mid 18th century)
Alvar González-Palacios. "Il mobile di corte italiano: un racconto futile per persone serie: 3. La retorica barocca." Antiquariato (1985), p. 64. (Roman, mid 18th century)
Ellenor Alcorn et al. The Best of the Decorative Arts. Exploring Treasures in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum IV. Exh. cat. (Boston: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 1992), pp. 18-19. (possibly Venice, about 1740)
Alan Chong et al. (eds.) Eye of the Beholder: Masterpieces from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston, 2003), p. 129. (Italian, mid 18th century)
Fausto Calderai and Alan Chong. Furnishing a Museum: Isabella Stewart Gardner’s Collection of Italian Furniture (Boston, 2011), pp. 102-5, no. 32.
ProvenanceNotesEntered Isabella Stewart Gardner's collection by 1897.
