Herter Brothers

William H. Vanderbilt, New York, 1881
Cornelius Vanderbilt III, New York, 1885
Margot Johnson, Inc., New York

Edward Strahan, Mr. Vanderbilt's House and Collection, New York, 1883, n.p.
George William Sheldon, Artistic Houses; being a series of interior views of a number of the most beautiful and celebrated homes in the United States, New York, 1883, reprint ed. 1971, p. 116
Arnold Lewis, et al., The Opulent Interiors of the Gilded Age, New York, 1987, p. 117 (for a period photograph showing this model in-situ in the dining room of the Vanderbilt House, ca. 1883)
Katherine S. Howe, et.al., Herter Brothers:  Furniture and Interiors for a Gilded Age, New York, 1994, pp. 204-205  (for a photograph of another chair from this dining suite in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and for an alternate period photograph of the Vanderbilt dining room showing this model in-situ)
Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen, "Christian Herter's decoration of the William H. Vanderbilt house in New York City," The Magazine Antiques, March 1995, pp. 414-415

Generally very good overall condition. All of brass nail tacks are replaced, but recreated based on the original tack design used on this chair model. The brass mounts are original, but appear to have been cleaned and lacquered. The embossed and parcel-gilt leather upholstery has been replaced, but recreated based on period accounts and images of these dining room chairs. Some minor rubbing, surface scratches and shrinkage separations to the chair frame as expected from age and use. One caster is bent but works. A fine example from the prestiegious Herter Brothers commission.
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.

This chair was designed by Christian Herter in 1891 to be part of the lavish interiors he created for the home of railroad tycoon William H. Vanderbilt at 640 Fifth Avenue, New York City.  The present lot is one of approximately eighteen chairs created for the mansion's dining room.   The imposing space measuring thirty-seven by twenty-eight feet was designed conforming to the notion of gendered interiors which was the norm in the second half of the nineteenth century.  Compared to the other more light-hearted reception rooms of the house, the dining room was overridingly masculine and sober, predominantly composed of carved and stained oak executed in the Renaissance revival style.  The room and its decorations were conceived as a total work of art and the motifs rendered reflect the overall function of the space.  The paneling, built-in cabinets, furniture and textiles were lavishly rendered with swags of fruit, nuts and floral tendrils following a sumptuous theme of abundance.  The entire length of the ceiling and friezes at either end of the room were richly painted with historicist French hunt scenes executed by Évariste Vital Luminais. 

The chair itself is a microcosm of this interior; it is at once formidable and architectural yet in its details reflects an organic lightness revealed in its exceptional carvings.  The support spandrels and square legs are adorned with delicately curling foliage and the stiff structural nature of the side stretchers are belied by the emergence of a rather ominously creeping vine.  While the current foliate-embossed and parcel-gilt red leather upholstery is a replacement, it is in keeping with the original upholstery scheme which was described in the period as a "dull red stamped leather of special designs, relieved with gold in Cordova fashion."  The present lot is one of a few dining chairs from the Vanderbilt dining room to survive.  Another example is in the permanent collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.