A Set of Eight Classical Side Chairs

Salem, Massachusetts
Circa 1835
Attributed to Abraham Kimball & Winthrop Sargent

These chairs are identical to a chair in a photograph at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem. The photograph depicts part of the dining room of George Peabody’s home in Salem. It was taken between 1882 and 1885 by John Lowell Gardner. In 1834, the Salem cabinetmakers Kimball & Sargent were commissioned to make furniture for the residence. The name Peabody appears to be written on two of this set in pencil on the back seat rails. The ends of the crest rails terminate in beautifully carved scrolls while the raised tablets are veneered in a striped mahogany. The central splat is composed of a pair of ornate c-scrolls centered by a carved shell. The seat rails are further enhanced by having raised tablets framed by flat moldings. The curved corners where the legs and the seat rails join are carved in an anthemion design. The front legs are turned and reeded as often found on English variations on Roman thrones.   

Mahogany, (Secondary woods: chestnut, birch, and pine)
Height: 34” Width: 19” Depth: 23”
U1048