Side Chair (Taburete)
- Joseph P. Whiting, American, 1800-1849
- Born: United States
- Work Locations: Caracas, Baltimore, Maryland
Joseph P. Whiting, Side Chair, about 1824-45. Mahogany upholstered in horsehair fabric; 33¼ × 18⅛ × 20⅛ in. Gift of Patricia Phelps de Cisneros, 2017.130.
In the late 1820s, after the war of independence from Spain, the demand for fine furniture in Venezuela opened interesting prospects for new manufacturers. Some foreign cabinetmakers took advantage of the opportunity and opened up workshops or retail outlets in Caracas. Among them was the Baltimore-born cabinetmaker Joseph P. Whiting, active in Caracas between 1824 and 1845. His workshop was initially located on Calle de los Bravos no. 1832; he would later move to Calle de Orinoco no. 121 in 1826.
This side chair attributed to Whiting in the Greek revival style, a version of the ancient Greek klismos form, was made in solid mahogany. It epitomizes the style, inspired in Greek ideals of democracy and freedom, developed by Caracas chair makers during the first years of the republic.
– Jorge F. Rivas Pérez, Frederick and Jan Mayer Curator of Latin American Art, 2019