Taos Pueblo Revival Carved White Oak Armchairs, Matched Pair

A matched pair of solid white oak armchairs built in the Taos Pueblo Revival tradition — a design movement that took hold in northern New Mexico in the 1920s and 1930s as Anglo artists, architects, and craftspeople began translating the stepped terraced forms of pueblo architecture into furniture, ironwork, and decorative objects. The vocabulary is immediately recognizable: stepped, notched crest rails that echo the setback profiles of multi-story adobe construction, a carved back splat centered on a diamond-and-radiating-ray motif drawn from Pueblo textile and ceramic iconography, and tiered, layered detailing at the arm terminals and seat aprons that reinforces the stepped geometry throughout the frame. The legs are tapered and square at the back, transitioning to carved barley-twist front legs that terminate in heavy square pad feet — an unusual pairing that grounds the architectural vocabulary in something more Spanish Colonial than strictly Pueblo, pointing toward the hybrid New Mexico Style that blended Anglo, Hispanic, and Pueblo influences into a regional design identity. Reeded moldings run along the seat rails and chair backs, adding a second layer of textural rhythm. The pale, lightly limed pickled finish strips back the oak grain to near-white, keeping the silhouette graphic and sculptural.

The drop-in seats are upholstered in a multicolor woven jacquard — terracotta, burgundy, gold, and olive green on a deep ground — in a scrolling floral pattern that sits in productive tension with the geometric frame. As a pair, these read equally well flanking a fireplace, anchoring a library or entry, or serving as captain's chairs at a long dining table. Each chair carries a "Property of Banquest National Bank of Albuquerque" tag,on the underframe — a piece of New Mexico institutional history riding along on the furniture.

Both chairs carry original asset tags reading "Property of Banquest National Bank of Albuquerque", affixed to the underframe. Banquest National Bank was an Albuquerque-based institution; these chairs were part of its furnishing inventory, consistent with the regional interest in Pueblo Revival and New Mexico Style décor that characterized many New Mexico banks, law offices, and civic buildings from the mid-20th century onward.

CONDITION

Good overall; frames are sturdy with tight joinery throughout. Scuffing and finish wear present across both chairs, with more pronounced abrasions and rubs to the feet and lower legs. Upholstery on both seats is clean and intact.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Overall (each): 38" H × 22" W × 23" D
• Seat (each): 18" W × 19" D × 18" H
• Frame: Solid white oak, pickled/limed finish
• Upholstery: Multicolor woven jacquard, scrolling floral pattern
• Quantity: 2 chairs (matched pair)
• Marks: Asset tag — "Property of Banquest National Bank of Albuquerque," No. 014894 (both chairs)