Klismos Style Side Chair -

Monticello Style

A customer contacted me with a very interesting story about a chair she was looking to have reproduced.  She was in possession of the single surviving chair from an entire dining set (12 chairs and a large table) that had been in her family for generations.  She was looking to donate the original chair to a museum or foundation and wanted to have 6 copies of the chair made for members of her family. I was able to use the original chair for patterns and measurements - it had been repaired many times over the years, but was in good shape considering it's age (probably approaching 200 - 220 years based on the tool marks and design).  This style of chair was thought to originate based on chairs that were excavated from Pompeii - known as a Klismos style chair.  Thomas Jefferson had a set of chairs based on this design built for Monticello in the late 1790's.  This style of chair is also seen in French examples from the same time period.  I built a set of six reproduction chairs in highly figured tiger maple. The chair's feature slip seats which were upholstered with the customers choice of fabric. The chairs were finished with an aniline dye stain to approximate the coloring of the original and then finished with a hand rubbed varnish.

Features

• Made from a matched set of tiger maple  - many other woods available including cherry, mahogany and walnut. • Hand shaped legs, back and crest rail. • Pinned mortise and tenon joinery used throughout. • The chair back is shaped to provide comfortable support for extended sitting. • Hand turned box stretchers at the base of the legs • Slip seat design - seat is upholstered in a traditional manner with webbing, padding and muslin - seats will be covered with customer's choice of fabric if provided. • Stained and finished with wiping varnish • Hand rubbed and waxed to a satiny sheen.

Three of the reproduction chairs shown in the customers study.