legs retain a dark rich historic surface, two knee returns replaced.

Joe Kindig, Jr. & Son, York, Pennsylvania;
Margaret Wilson Lewis du Pont, Wilmington, Delaware.

Joe Kindig Jr. advertisement, The Magazine Antiques, December 1935, vol. 28, no. 6, pg 221.

Proper left front leg broken, both front returns replaced. Bottom ends of both rear feet ended out. Patch above proper left vertical support. width: 37 1/2 in.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Easy chairs were a luxury in the colonial home due to their significant upholstery costs and, as such, were likely specially commissioned by their wealthy owners. Derived from the French term aisie, meaning “conducive to ease or comfort,” the form originated in England in the 1600s and came into production in America from around 1720 and remained popular until the 1770s. As one of the first almost entirely upholstered furniture forms to arrive in America, its manufacture necessitated the cooperation of two different craftsmen, the cabinetmaker and the upholsterer. Such chairs were designed for comfort and intended for the bedchamber, where they were often upholstered in wool moreen, silk damask or embroidered needlework to match the bed hangings and window curtains.

With its tall shaped wings, C-scroll shaped arm supports, rounded front seat rail, front cabriole legs with acanthus-carved knees and claw feet and rear legs with a pronounced rake, this one represents both the cost𝐆liest form and highest achievement of Philadelphia chairmaking in the Rococo style. It is of superior quality and set apart from contemporaries by its elegant silhouette, broad proportions, knees with exceptional high relief acanthus carving, and tall front cabriole legs with prominent claw feet.

A Philadelphia easy chair of the same design with related carving is illustrated as a “Masterpiece” in The New Fine Points of Furniture by Albert Sack (New York, 1993, p. 74). An earlier example in the Queen Anne style with a very similar silhouette sold at Sotheby’s, The Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Lammot Du Pont Copeland, January 19, 2002, sale 7757, lot 188. One at Winterthur Museum with related knee carving is pictured in Joseph Downs, American Furniture, Queen Anne and Chippendale Periods, New York, 1952, no. 91.