Side Chair

Michel Angelo Pergolesi, Italian, active ca. 1760–1801 · ca. 1785

Elaborately carved and painted side chair. Back composed of crossed cornucopia, from which spring almost at right angles griffins and heads, holding between them an umbrella shaped canopy, with foliated stem of trumpet flowers, in false Chinese taste; surface is painted in buff, red, green, and blue. The rounded tapering legs curve inwards in the middle but splay out towards the feet; above the finely tapered feet, are carved acanthus leaves. Top of legs have square capitols carved with acanthus leaves and berries.