Scroll back side chair 1810 - 1815

Editor: Here we have Duncan Phyfe's "Scroll back side chair," crafted around 1810-1815. It’s currently at the Met. It's wood and rather austere, even with the striped seat. What's your take? What visual echoes do you perceive within its form and decorative details? Curator: Instantly, the neoclassical influence is undeniable. We see in it a reaching back to the symbolic language of ancient Greece and Rome, which spoke to ideas of order, reason, and a golden age. Those little details, like the carved honeysuckle, or anthemion, speak volumes about aspiration. Editor: Aspiration? In a chair? Curator: Absolutely! These motifs were pervasive in elite decor, embodying a cultural yearning. The chair becomes more than functional. Phyfe wasn’t merely making furniture; he was conjuring a world steeped in ideals. Think of how these visual cues were used to reinforce a certain social standing and shared values among the American upper class. The question I have for you, then, is this chair intended to evoke those same shared values? Editor: It's like the owners are participating in this performance, aligning themselves with those historic virtues! I didn’t notice all the subtle connections before. I am particularly intruiged by those orbs at the legs. Curator: These gilt bronze *sabots* ground the otherwise somewhat airy composition and serve as counterpoint to the finery in the back. The repeated vertical elements bring to mind a column or colonade. In every way it is striving for more than utility. Editor: So much for “just a chair”! Now, when I look at it, it appears so much larger and ambitious! Thank you for clarifying.