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Side Chair Decorated with a Portrait of Lafayette

John King, Joseph Weisman, and others

Side Chair Decorated with a Portrait of Lafayette

1823

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Side Chair Decorated with a Portrait of Lafayette

1823

Physical Qualities Painted wood with gilt and polychrome decoration, 30 1/2 x 17 3/4 x 15 3/8 in. (77.5 x 45.1 x 39.1 cm.)
Credit Line Gift of Randolph Mordecai
Object Number 1925.11.1
The Marquis de Lafayette, one of the most popular heroes of the American Revolution, paid a return visit to the fledgling United States in 1824 – 1825 at the invitation of President James Monroe. The former general’s extensive itinerary included a stop in Baltimore, where this chair was made and embellished with Lafayette’s portrait. The elbow-shaped element above the rear legs is a form that Baltimore chair makers often used.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by gift, 1925; Randolph Mordecai, Paris, France
A Son and his Adopted Father: The Marquis de Lafayette and George Washington

AMW Reinstallation 2014
Elder, William Voss. Baltimore Painted Furniture, 1800-1840. Baltimore, MD: Baltimore Museum of Art, 1972, cat. no. 43, page 69.
Elder III, William Voss and Jayne E. Stokes. American Furniture 1680-1880: From the Collection of the Baltimore Museum of Art. Baltimore: Museum of Art,1987, p. 7.
Lance Humphries, "Provenance, Patronage, and Perception: The Morris Suite of Baltimore Painted Furniture," "American Furniture," 2003, p. 167-168, figures 38-39.

Maker

John King

1809–1828

American, active 1810 - 1829
Meet John →

Ornamentor

Joseph Weisman

2000–2000

American, active early 19th century
Meet Joseph →

Previously attributed to

Unidentified

2000-01-01 00:00:00–2000-01-01 00:00:00

Subject

Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette

1756–1833

French, 1757-1834
Meet Gilbert →

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