MACKINNON FINE FURNITURE
Irwin Untermyer Irwin Untermyer (1886-1973) was an esteemed lawyer, judge, and art collector. In his lifetime he amassed one of, if not the greatest collection of British decorative arts in America. Untermyer was born in New York and attended Columbia University for his undergraduate and law degrees. After a legal career in the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court, Untermyer retired in 1945 to devote himself ‘with undivided interest to his pursuits as a collector.’
From his apartment at 960 Fifth Avenue, he amassed an impressive collection of English furniture, porcelain, textiles, and silver. In the foreword of his 1958 publication entitled English Furniture with Some Furniture of Other Countries in the Irwin Untermyer Collection (1958), Untermyer writes ‘I have always regarded the English furniture as the outstanding part of the collection, for though I have acquired other forms of art, there has never been any time during the past forty-five years when I have not been interested in the acquisition of English furniture.’
The Design The distinctive ‘curule’ form of the chairs is derived from the ‘sella curulis,’ the chairs used by figures of importance and authority in ancient Rome. The revival of interest in antiquity both during the Renaissance and then again during the 19th century with the revival of antiquarian taste saw the resurgence of popularity of curule seats. Other variations of this type of x-frame chair include the Dante chair, Savonarola chair, scissor chair, or more simply, a crossframe chair.
He served as a trustee at the Metropolitan Museum of Art between 1951 and 1971. He began making gifts to museum in 1955 and continued to do so for the rest of his life. In total, he gifted around 2,000 works from his collection.
Judge Irwin Untermyer’s apartment at 960 Fifth Avenue, New York, showing the chairs in situ. Photograph courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 98