SET OF EIGHT SOUTHERN FEDERAL INLAIDSET OF EIGHT SOUTHERN FEDERAL INLAID CHERRY DINING CHAI...early 19th century, likely inland or coastal South Carolina or Georgia, seatback with pierced slats centered by floral inlaid medallions, two armchairs with shaped arms, trapezoidal seat, tapered legs, banded feet, birch secondary wood, 45 x 22-1/4 x 20 in.
Note: According to corresponding documentation, these chairs were made for Dr. Alexander Grayson Verdiere's home at Bull Hill Plantation in Beaufort, South Carolina during the early 19th century, along with a matching sideboard, likely made by a cabinetmaker in South Carolina or Georgia. A closely related set of chairs are illustrated in Georgia's Legacy, History Charted Through the Arts by Jane Webb Smith, pg. 137, fig. 67. This chair form was common among chairs made by Charleston cabinetmakers, who typically imported similar inlay—see Bivens, The Furniture of Charleston, 1680-1820, Vol. II, pgs. 771-775; pg. 639.
Provenance: The Verdiere Family, Bull Hill Plantation, Beaufort, South Carolina; Julia Maxwell, daughter of Dr. Alexander Grayson Verdiere, born at Bull Hill Plantation; Estate of Mary Sams, Atlanta, Georgia; Elizabeth Austin Antiques, Charleston, South Carolina; Private Collection
Condition:
all chairs structurally sound, refinished, one chair with several repairs to legs and seat rail, another chair with repaired seat rail, one chair with repaired crest rail, other minor filled areas, thin cracks, shrinkages, and other general wear as expected from age and use, slip seats replaced, seats were likely previously caned
