Summer 2017

This fancy painted side chair bears the brand of Lewis Barnes (1776–1856), its presumed original owner. Barnes, a Swedish immigrant, was a merchant and a sea captain. As befitting a member of the Federal Fire Society in Portsmouth, Barnes apparently took seriously the concept of branding his furniture so that it could be identified and claimed after a potential fire. At least sixteen pieces have survived stamped with his name, as well as at least one of his fire buckets. Barnes lived in a house on Islington Street, fragments of which still survive incorporated into a gas station. This chair was once part of a large set of eight chairs and two settees that has been dispersed and is now scattered in several public and private collections. Such fancy-painted chairs were made in Portsmouth, but were also imported from New York and elsewhere, and determining their place of manufacture can be difficult. It was a recent gift to the New Hampshire Historical Society from Mr. and Mrs. James L. Garvin, who also gave the Society an elliptic-front chest of drawers (2014.011) branded by Barnes that features many details that link it to high-quality federal-period Portsmouth furniture. Those features include the form of its corner posts, its leg turnings, and the use of a light-colored “wavy” birch veneer that plays off the darker mahogany veneer to create the dynamic color contrasts that are an essential part of the aesthetic of northern New England furniture in this period. This armchair features elements that link it to a large body of related examples attributed to the shop of Robert Harrold, the English immigrant who had such a profound impact on Portsmouth furniture in the rococo or Chippendale style. Its splat design is based on a plate in Robert Manwaring’s pattern book entitled The Cabinet and Chair- Maker’s Real Friend and Companion (1765), a demonstration of the increasing importance of design books in the second half of the eighteenth century. Fig. 4: Armchair, attributed to Robert Harrold (w. 1765–92), Portsmouth, 1765–1775. Mahogany. H. 37½, W. 28, D. 18½ in. Private collection. Photo by Jon Winslow. Fig. 5: Side chair, Probably Portsmouth, 1805–18 15. Painted maple, sweet gum, cherry. H. 34⅞, W. 18½, D. 19 in. New Hampshire Historical Society; purchase with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. James L. Garvin (2014.012). Photo courtesy of New Hampshire Historical Society. 2017 Antiques & Fine Art 127