Windsor bench
(c. 1820)
Medium
painted Hickory (Carya sp.), Pine (Pinus sp.) and Maple (Acer sp.)
Measurements
100.1 × 201.1 × 57.1 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, NGV Supporters of Decorative Arts, 2023
Gallery location
Not on display
About this work
This bench is an example of American vernacular furniture and takes its inspiration from English Windsor chairs of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Windsor chairs and benches were characterised by a solid wooden seat with legs and arms that were dowelled in, their simple yet strong construction making them ideal for use outdoors. As more English settlers migrated to the United States, they took with them familiar designs from home, including the Windsor chair. American production of the Windsor chair dates from as early as the mid 1740s and continued steadily into the 1760s. While the exact manufacturing centre of this bench is unknown it is likely that it was made in the north-east of the United States.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
(United States)
Accession Number
2023.235
Department
International Decorative Arts