Side Chair 1879 - 1882

Curator: Well, look at this confection! The "Side Chair" from between 1879 and 1882, a dazzling product of the Herter Brothers. You'll find it here in the Met. The craftsmanship really sings, doesn't it? Especially with the gilded wood, complete with textile flourishes. Editor: It does have this curious jewel-box allure about it...like a throne shrunk down for a fairy queen. Though, I can't help but feel like it’s desperately trying to be both regal and approachable and I am not so sure it's working for me. The textiles are so muted, almost as if whispering secrets. Curator: Yes, consider the aesthetic atmosphere cultivated by the Arts and Crafts movement. The chair's decorative details, such as the dragonflies on the fabric, aren't just decorative, they evoke nature, a kind of romantic embrace of organic forms intended to uplift and ennoble everyday life. The stars scattered among the dragonflies suggests celestial harmony...a little cosmos of comfort. Editor: Dragonflies feel right, somehow, they possess this transformative symbolism; an intimation of summertime as well. Yet, there's a deliberate restraint in color and material, isn't it? Is this chair striving for immortality? The symmetry almost feels like a formal, if slightly anxious, portrait. I am struck by this notion that, even back then, there was some fascination in this "domestic deity" thing we like to build for ourselves, by sitting high in it. Curator: Precisely, it's about ennobling the domestic. It suggests how beauty might find its place even in utility. I believe its the kind of artwork to stop and see how different elements come together. It's really stunning to think how meticulously each strand of those tassels at the base had to be crafted, for example. All things considered, the intention wasn't just a chair, but to inspire. Editor: Absolutely, you nailed it. There is certainly a tale in this chair; though if this were mine, I wonder who'd feel welcome enough to ever actually sit in it! Anyway, thanks for pointing all of this out.