Artist/Maker

Single Brothers’ Joinery

Place Made

Date Made

1770-1775

Medium

walnut

Dimensions

HOA 41 1/2; WOA 18; DOA 17

Accession Number

416.4

Description

Over a dozen of this form of chair survive, and many of them have a history of Church ownership and use. These chairs seem to match the description of the ” 6 black walnut Chairs with woven seats” from the 1776 inventory of the Salem Gemein Haus.

The Gemein Haus was a building that had a space in which the minister and his family lived and a chapel used for worship. The Salem Gemein Haus, built in 1771, served as the church for the community until the church building was built in 1800.

DESCRIPTION: Chair has curved, yoked crest rail with solid vasiform splat mortised between crest rail and solid rail several inches above the seat rail. Stiles of seat back remain straight to form back legs; stretchers and front legs are turned; seat rails are mortised and pinned into front legs and into back styles; seondary rails with woven split seat are rounded.

Credit Line

On loan by the Moravian Church, Southern Province.