A PAIR OF CLASSICAL MAHOGANY ARM CHAIRS

A sofa attributed to Joseph Barry with similar armrests carved in the shape of a dog's head was made for Louis Clapier of Philadelphia. These armrests are thought to be typical of the figural carving that Barry did before before the War of 1812 (Robert T. Trump, "Joseph B. Barry, Philadelphia cabinetmaker," The Magazine Antiques (January 1975), pp. 162-163). An armchair and side chair with similar ogee carving on the crest rail and the same reeded legs as the subject pair are also attributed to Barry. These chairs also originally belonged to the The Weightman family who were prominent manufacturing chemists in Philadelphia. Another related sofa with extremely similar plumage carving and ogee cutout on the crest rail is attributed to Barry, and is illustrated, along with the aforementioned armchair in Donald L. Fennimore and Robert T. Trump, "Joseph B. Barry, Philadelphia cabinetmaker," The Magazine Antiques (May 1989), p. 1222.