Side Chair
Period1760 - 1790
MediumWalnut, and pine
Dimensions39.75 × 22.25 × 18 in. (101 × 56.5 × 45.7 cm)
InscribedA metal plaque attached to the back of the crest rail reads "Rev. William Tennent / Died March 8th 1777."
ClassificationsSeating Furniture
Credit LineGift of Mrs. Anna Cobb Hallock, 1932
Object number251
DescriptionA side chair that includes a carved five lobe shell with pronounced auricles in the center of the crest rail, which ends in splayed and carved corner ears. The solid vase shaped splat fits into a molded and stepped shoe. Front and side seat rails feature a quarter round molding along their top edges. The side rails are through-tenoned into the rear stiles and secured with two wedges. Cabriole front legs end in claw and ball feet, and the rear legs are rounded and raked back. The slip seat is upholstered in twentieth century pale yellow brocade.Curatorial RemarksRelics associated with the Rev. William Tennent Jr. had taken on special historical significance by the early twentieth century. So considerable effort went into preserving this chair. When donated to the Association, it had been equipped with rockers, probably in the nineteenth century. Restoration funded by Mrs. J. Amory Haskell included piecing out the rear stiles six inches, replacing the side and front seat rails, and fashioning entirely new front legs that end in claw and ball feet. A paper label affixed to the inside of the front seat rail states "Front - Front legs and sides restored to original condition; Back legs lengthened six inches 10/20/32" Original parts remaining are the rear stiles, rear seat rail, crest rail with the carved shell in its center, and the splat. Comparison with accession number 1983.421 confirms that both chairs were made by a common craftsman using the same patterns for the splat and crest rail. The five lobe shell carvings with their pronounced auricles on the crest rails are also from the same hand. The second chair, the front legs of which end in trifid feet, came from nearby Colts Neck. The Tennent chair should probably also have trifid feet. Both may have been made in central New Jersey, and they could very well be two chairs from the same set. For a tall case clock owned by Mr. Tennent, see accession number 1995.532.NotesA letter dated 6 October 1932 from the donor, Mrs. Anna Cobb Hallock, to the Association provides detailed provenance for the chair. It was owned originally by the Rev. William Tennent Jr. (1705 - 1777), who served for forty-four years as the much-revered pastor of the Presbyterian Church near Freehold, Monmouth County, that now bears his name. The letter reads as follows, "The Tennent Chair was given to my father, Rev. A. P. Cobb, in 1872, while he was pastor of the Tennent Church, by Mr. W. W. Woodhull. Mr. Woodhull had conducted a school for boys in Freehold, on the corner of Broad Street and Manalapan Avenue. He was ill and leaving Freehold. He died soon after. Mr. Woodhull was the grandson of the Rev. Dr. John Woodhull, who immediately followed Mr. Tennent as pastor of the Tennent Church. He lived in the Tennent parsonage. There is reason to believe that some of the furnishings of the parsonage were used by Dr. Woodhull's family, or were presented to him. The Woodhull family had much antique furniture and knew definitely about the chair. I am not sure whether the plate on the chair was put there by my father, or some one in the Woodhull family. My father prized the chair and my mother, when she moved to New York City, in 1881, took it with her. I have lived over forty years in Rochester, N. Y., and am glad for the Historical Association to have it. That is where it belongs. I am inclined to think you are right, that it did not originally have rockers. The chair now belongs to the Association. I am glad to have the Association do what seems according to its best judgment." The text above therefore provides the following history of descent for the Tennent chair: Rev. William Tennent (1705 - 1777); sold at auction after his death; Rev. John Woodhull (1744 - 1824); to his son Dr. John Tennent Woodhull (1786 - 1869); to his son William W. Woodhull (1818 - after 1880); given in 1872 to Rev. Archibald P. Cobb (1821 - 1881); to his daughter Mrs. Anna Cobb Hallock (1858 - 1954). The restoration of the chair to its present appearance is discussed in Curatorial Remarks.
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