RARE SET OF SIX "ELASTIC" SIDE CHAIRS BY SAMUEL GRAGG Boston, Circa 1810
Two branded "S. Gragg Boston Patent". Professionally repainted by Robert Mussey in mustard yellow, with peacock feathers on central splats and foliate designs on crest rails and seats. Carved hooved front legs. Back heights 34.5". Seat heights 18".
Samuel Gragg's "elastic" chair was a marvel of its time, a truly unique invention of American craftsmanship. Although the sinuous profile is reminiscent of classical English and French furniture of the period, the "elastic" chair backs, seats and front legs were formed from steam-bent continuous strips of wood, a patented technological advance Gragg developed, possibly based on fabrication techniques used by boat builders. In contrast to other chairs of the time, Gragg intended his to be comfortable - the general shape is ergonomic, and the construction method allows it to conform with the body of the sitter then return to its original shape, ergo "elastic". The avant-garde design far outpaced its time, and it wasn't until the 20th Century that the same streamlined aesthetic and a similar bent-wood construction would reappear in furniture design.

Little is known about Samuel Gragg (1772-1855), though it seems the "elastic" chair was an outlier of creativity in an otherwise long but conventional career as a furniture maker. Robert D. Mussey Jr., who repainted these chairs, is a renowned furniture conservationist, restoring pieces for museums, historic homes and private collections. He founded the furniture conservation laboratory at the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities in Boston in 1982.

See "Samuel Gragg and the Elastic Chair" by Michael S. Podmaniczky, published by the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, "The Patented Elastic Chairs of Samuel Gragg" by Robby Sexton, published by the Art Institute of Chicago, and "The Incredible, Elastic Chairs of Samuel Gragg at Winterthur" by Karla Klein Albertson, published by Antiques and the Arts Weekly , April 1, 2003.

Provenance:
Willis Henry Auction, Marshfield, Massachusetts. Includes copy of auction brochure illustrating the chairs.

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16. These Conditions of Sale

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SHIPPING

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COLLECTION OF PURCHASES: Delivery or shipping arrangements must be made within seven (7) days from the close of the auction for all purchases. All items must be removed from Eldred's facilities within fourteen (14) days of the end of the auction. All items remaining after fourteen days may be subject to a $5/per item/per day storage fee. No items will be released unless storage fees are paid in full. Items remaining over thirty (30) days from the close of the auction may be sold for the buyer's account minus auction and storage fees.

ABSENTEE BIDS

Because of the manner in which our online system processes and transmits left bids, Eldred's does not receive bid information until the exact moment of sale. Because the bidding console does not differentiate between left bids and live bids, the first bid accepted by the auctioneer is the winning bid, regardless of the time the bid was originally left.