If you visited Moland House in the past, you may have noticed the chair which was paired with our George II desk in the office wasn’t quite “up to snuff” as the Brits may say.
I was delighted when a George II mahogany armchair came up for bid at a local auction. Another George II returned home to Moland House following the auction!
This style chair is also called a library chair or Gainsborough chair after Thomas Gainsborough the renowned portrait painter who frequently depicted aristocratic subjects relaxing in this specific style chair during portrait sittings. This wide armchair has short arms and a comfortably high back. The generous seat celebrated a portly or heavy set sitter which was a sign of wealth in the era of King George II who ruled Great Britain and Ireland from 1727-1760.
The upper most part of the seat back is called a crest rail. On our chair there is a carved fan in the center of the crest rail. It is another representation of prosperity and class, a powerful status symbol. The legs are called cabriole legs which curve outward and taper down to a pad foot atop a flat disc. This was a desirable design style of the period.
Don’t miss the striking geometric patterned seat covering with an impressive optical illusion of depth.
John Moland, the owner, builder of Moland House, was a commissioned King’s attorney in the state of Pennsylvania. Aesthetics and functionality are joined with his status and affluence in our paired upper classman’s chair and desk in the same office space we believe he strategized legal matters prior to the Revolution.
You be the Judge!
Christine Mifsud, Curator
June, 2026