A FINE PAIR OF EXCEPTIONALY CARVED MASSACHUSETTES SIDE CHAIRS
Attributed to the shop of General Stephen Badlam, Dorchester Lower Mills, Massachusetts, c. 1780-1790, the elaborate carvings adorning the splats, crest rails and medallions of these chairs represent the very finest work of a master craftsman. The floral chains, intricate bowknot, bold tassels, bellflower pendants and intertwined motifs incorporated on the central medallion articulate decorative themes drawn from Chippendale as well as the emerging neo classical style of the Federal period. These chairs are among the best conceived by Badlam or his contemporaries, “known for producing furniture of great opulence” and were without doubt commissioned by one of the period’s most prominent patrons. A related chair from the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago is pictured in “Carving an American Style” (page 58) by Dean Lahikainen. One of our pair was exhibited in “A Bit of Vanity, Furniture of Eighteenth Century Boston” 1972. Provenance: Israel Sack.