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Source Description
Newly acquired wealth from railroad production, manufacturing, and an expanded economy produced a new elite class of Americans who looked abroad for sources of decoration to adorn their lives. Grand, baronial furniture, reminiscent of German hunting lodges or French castles, became popular during the mid 1800s among America’s wealthy. Elaborate displays of abundance were reflected in the carvings of flora, fauna, and freshly hunted game. The depictions of Native American hunters on this example, most likely made in Philadelphia, may have meant that this piece was displayed at one of the many international expositions that occurred during this period.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
152834
label
Sideboard
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
152834
contentType
object
title
Sideboard
description
Newly acquired wealth from railroad production, manufacturing, and an expanded economy produced a new elite class of Americans who looked abroad for sources of decoration to adorn their lives. Grand, baronial furniture, reminiscent of German hunting lodges or French castles, became popular during the mid 1800s among America’s wealthy. Elaborate displays of abundance were reflected in the carvings of flora, fauna, and freshly hunted game. The depictions of Native American hunters on this example, most likely made in Philadelphia, may have meant that this piece was displayed at one of the many international expositions that occurred during this period.
date
c. 1855
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60779166
creators
5816
genreSpecific
Furniture and woodwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 290.4 x 211.4 x 69.4 cm (114 5/16 x 83 1/4 x 27 5/16 in.)
cul
America, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia?, 19th century
accession
1985.72
Source extras
tec
walnut
tombstone
Sideboard, c. 1855. Attributed to Joseph Alexis Bailly (American, 1825–1883). Walnut; overall: 290.4 x 211.4 x 69.4 cm (114 5/16 x 83 1/4 x 27 5/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1985.72
collection
Furniture
didYouKnow
Luscious fruit, wild animals, and Native American figures are masterfully carved into this walnut sideboard. These decorative adornments were created for a distinctively American taste and would have symbolized abundance and wealth to visitors who encountered it within a grand dining room.
citations
citation
Turner, Evan H. “The Year in Review for 1985.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 73, no. 2 (February 1986): 26–71.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 52; Mentioned: p. 64, no. 46
citation
Hawley, Henry. “American Furniture of the Mid-Nineteenth Century.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 74, no. 5 (May 1987): 186–215.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: p. 202-206, figs. 20, 22-23
citation
Peirce, Donald C.<em> Art & Enterprise: American Decorative Art, 1825-1917 : The Virginia Carroll Crawford Collection</em>. Atlanta: High Museum of Art, 1999.
page_number
Mentioned & reproduced: p. 98, fig. 3
citation
Adams, Henry.<em> What's American About American Art?: A Gallery Tour in the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2008.
page_number
Mentioned & reproduced: pp. 72-73
citation
Piña, Leslie <em>A. Furniture in History, 3000 B.C.-2000 A.D</em>. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2010.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 17
citation
Franklin, David, and C. Griffith Mann. <em>Treasures from the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art in association with, New York, NY: Scala Publishers, 2012.
page_number
Mentioned & reproduced: pp. 250-251
citation
Bidwell, Frederick E., and Leslie Cade. <em>The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art in association with New York, NY: Scala Arts Publishers, 2014.
page_number
Mentioned & reproduced: pp. 140-141
creditline
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
galleryDonorText
The Payne Fund Gallery
updatedAt
2026-05-29 07:54:10.856000
sourceId
152834
dept
Decorative Art and Design
coll
Furniture
med
walnut
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
dda772507a416b1a