Sideboard (c. 1855): Art, History and Details

Sideboard (c. 1855) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Joseph Alexis Bailly (American, 1825–1883).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

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.

Object facts

• Title: Sideboard
• Date: c. 1855
• Creator attribution: Joseph Alexis Bailly (American, 1825–1883)
• Culture: America, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia?, 19th century
• Type: Furniture and woodwork
• Technique: walnut
• Dimensions: Overall: 290.4 x 211.4 x 69.4 cm (114 5/16 x 83 1/4 x 27 5/16 in.)
• Collection: Furniture
• Department: Decorative Art and Design
• Accession number: 1985.72

A detail from the museum

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.

Collection credit

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Turner, Evan H. “The Year in Review for 1985.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 73, no. 2 (February 1986): 26–71.
• Hawley, Henry. “American Furniture of the Mid-Nineteenth Century.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 74, no. 5 (May 1987): 186–215.
• Peirce, Donald C. Art & Enterprise: American Decorative Art, 1825-1917 : The Virginia Carroll Crawford Collection. Atlanta: High Museum of Art, 1999.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.