This early baroque style chair is a fine and rare example of a major branch of the chair-maker's art in colonial America. It also reflects the period of complex social change in which it was made, a time when Dutch cultural influence was declining and British influence was increasing. High-back, leather-upholstered chairs were a specialty of Boston craftsmen. Though hard to imagine looking at the cracked upholstery on this chair, Russia leather was a luxury material in its day. This particular chair was received as a gift to the Albany Institute's then-director, James Ten Eyck.