Eight American Gothic Carved Mahogany Dining Chairs, c. 1845, possibly Charles Baudouine (act. 1829-c.1854), New York, incl. two armchairs and six side chairs, shaped pierced crest rail with lobed fans, splats surmounted by ogee arches, trapezoidal seat, shaped legs, retaining old attractive finish. Note: Gothic Revival chairs with s-shaped front legs and splats surmounted by ogee arches have been attributed to New York City cabinetmakers such as Alexander Roux and John & Joseph W. Meeks. The chairs in the current lot are distinguished by a shaped crest rail with peaks and lobed fans. Additionally, moldings outline the ogee arches as well as the splats. These details are not found on chairs by Roux or by J. and J.W. Meeks. Features such as the lobed fans and moldings are found individually on chairs made by Charles A. Baudouine, including a set of forty-two rosewood chairs produced around 1845 for the State Dining Room of the White House during the administration of President James K. Polk, and a pair of armchairs that were part of a rosewood parlor suite supplied in 1849 to Betsy Hart of Troy, New York.
Ref.: Bucher, Douglas G., Stacy Pomeroy Draper, et al. The Marble House in Second Street: Biography of a Town House and its Occupants. 1825, 2000, p. 38, fig. 41; Howe, Katherine S. and David B. Warren. The Gothic Revival Style in America, 1830-1870. 1976, p. 13-14, figs. 2 & 4; Monkman, Betty C. The White House: Its Historic Furnishings and First Families, 2000, p. 103.