Philadelphia Antiques Show 2022

84 2 0 2 2 LOAN EXH I B I T 1993 • SEEN BUT NOT HEARD This dynamic continuous armWindsor highchair stands out for its stately appearance, fine craftsmanship and original condition. Attributed to eastern Connecticut, this highchair combines distinctive elements from New London County, Connecticut and neighboring Rhode Island, with sophisticated details associated with Windsor chairs made in Boston, Massachusetts. As commerce quickly expanded following the Revolutionary War, so did opportunities for Windsor chair makers. Regional styles were shared as these practical and beautiful chairs gained popularity and craftsmen traveled between workshops. The continuous armWindsor design evolved from the introduction of the bow back side chair in the early 1780s. By the 1790s, continuous armchair production had reached a high level in both Providence and Newport, Rhode Island. Many of these chairs featured tapered and swelled spindles similar to those found on this continuous armWindsor highchair. The use of the oval shaped saddle seat with legs that terminate inside the seat are elements closely associated with the noted Windsor chair maker, Ebenezer Tracy I (1744-1803) of Lisbon, Connecticut. Interestingly, two of the smallest details illustrate the influence of Windsor chair makers from Boston. The footrest is constructed with the same steam and bend technique used for the crest rail. This unusual design is found used for the stretcher construction in Windsor chairs made by the partnership of Seaver & Frost in Boston about 1800. The other Boston related element is found in the shape of small collars used on the ring turnings of the media stretcher. This intriguing continuous armWindsor highchair was acquired by Nathan Liverant and Son as part of the single largest purchase in our 100 years of history. In the summer of 1979, we acquired the house and collection of over 1,000 antiques gathered by Robert and Ruth Boyce of Coventry, Connecticut. To close the deal, Zeke Liverant and his wife Sylvia, Arthur Liverant and his wife Gigi, invited Bob and Ruth over to the family home for dinner. “I remember the evening well,” says Arthur, “As we began dinner and were toasting to the success of the deal, Gigi says she has an announcement too, she is pregnant. That was our daughter Hannah. There were about a half a dozen things in the house that I would have loved to keep for my own collection. One of them was a continuous armWindsor highchair that was really special. So, because of the timing, we kept the high chair.” –Kevin Tulimieri, History Specialist at Nathan Liverant and Son Continuous ArmWindsor highchair Eastern Connecticut, 1785-1810. Collection of Arthur and Gigi Liverant