Chair, Rocking - Lorenzo Gibson

 
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Lorenzo Gibson rocking chair
Chair, Rocking - Lorenzo Gibson
Lorenzo Gibson rocking chair
Lorenzo Gibson rocking chair

Chair, Rocking - Lorenzo Gibson

Object number2006.017.01
Date1855
Mediumhickory turnings, wood unidentified for slats and rockers. Maker unknown.
Dimensions39 x 27 5/16 x 18 in. (99.1 x 69.4 cm)
Credit LineOld State House Museum Collection
Terms
    DescriptionThis rocking chair was built for Lorenzo Gibson lawyer, physician, state legislator, and Surveyor General of Arkansas. The chair reportedly was made for Mr. Gibson by one of his slaves. The size of the chair lends itself to a Gibson family tradition that Dr. Gibson was a man of considerable height and girth.

    "Description: It is an understatement to say that this chair has wide proportions. It was supposedly made for Little Rock and Rockport physician Lorenzo P. Gibson by one of his artisan slaves. The chair seems to corroborate a family tradition which held that Dr. Gibson was a man of prodigious height and girth. Except for the four bent and tapered slats of the rockers, all of the chair members are turned. The ball and ring finials project above graduated back posts. Each post has four sets of ringed scoring marks to indicate the placement of mortises to receive each of the four back slats, which were pegged in place. The arms are attached to the front posts by doweling beneath each ball-and-ring turned hand rest. The front post below each hand rest is turned in an elongated, bulbous shape, with a medial flattened ring, followed by graduated plain turning with interspersed flat rings. These rings appear positioned like scoring marks to indicate seat rail and stretcher placement." from Arkansas Made pg 59-60.

    Status
    Not on view
    Collections