Sack-back Windsor armchair
Wilmington, Delaware
1782-1795
Maker
Sampson Barnet (working 1776-1823)
Measurements
39-1/8 in x 25-3/4 in x 23 in
Materials
Tulip poplar* (seat), maple* (legs, stretchers and hoop), hickory* (spindles and arm supports), oak* (arm bow)
Credit Line
Historic Odessa Foundation
Accession Number
1978.107
Inscription
“S·BARNET” is stamped into the front edge of the underside of the seat. This is the same brand as on accession no. 1979.65.
Condition Notes
The chair was stripped of paint and repainted in a modern green paint meant to look aged.
Provenance
The chair was acquired for use in the Odessa properties from David Stockwell (dealer) with funds provided by H. Rodney Sharp.
Comments
This bow-back Windsor with 9-spindles under the bow and three more under each arm behind the turned arm support, has a carved oval seat. The four slender legs have elongated baluster turnings above reels and tapering feet. In contrast to the leg turnings, those on the stretchers are particularly robust. Similarly, the spindles thicken at the bottom and give the chair-back a visual sense of lift. The carved knuckle handholds are also well-articulated. Without the brand under the seat, this Delaware-made Windsor could easily be mistaken for a fine Philadelphia product.
Sampson Barnet arrived in Wilmington from Chester County, Pennsylvania, about 1782. He moved out of Wilmington, possibly to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1807.
Bibliography
Evans, American Windsor Chairs, pp. 174-5, fig. 4-27
