A Fine Continental Chippendale Mahogany Carved Stool,
Circa 1790-1840
The stool with a serpentine seat rail over a foliate carved skirt and supported by dolphin-form cabriole legs with C-scroll and foliate carving.
Dimensions: 17 in high x 24 in wide (43.2 cm x 60.9 cm)
The use of dolphins as a decorative motif in Rococo furniture seems to appear first in a dolphin-footed chair in de la Cour’s First Book of Ornaments, 1741. This concept was adopted by Thomas Chippendale and published as a French Chair in The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director (London 1754) in plate XX (plate XXI in the 1762 edition). In fact, Chippendale made liberal use of the downward facing dolphin motif, incorporating in designs for a cistern (plate CLI), a pedestal (plate CL) and a candle stand (plate CXLV).