In the OSV Visitor Center Gallery
October 19, 2013 – May 4, 2014
Delightfully designed and intricately inlayed, the furniture of Nathan Lombard (1777-1847) stands out among the rich traditions of cabinetmaking found in rural Massachusetts in the early 1800s. Nathan’s furniture has a vitality and charm that easily captures the eye even today, with inlays of charismatic eagles, elaborate vines, and floral motifs.
As a boy raised in Brimfield, married in Sturbridge, and settled in Sutton, Nathan’s story is a very local one and the exhibit at Old Sturbridge Village will represent the largest assembling of Lombard’s furniture since they left his workshop. Many of the pieces on view are held in private collections and this exhibit will be an exciting opportunity for his pieces to return home to central Massachusetts.
New discoveries – including family narratives, early daguerreotype images of the Lombard family, and personal family artifacts – help bring the Lombard family to life. Hand in hand with celebrating his furniture, we look forward to celebrating Nathan Lombard the cabinetmaker, father, and community member, and revealing the true person behind these extraordinary objects.
Four Centuries of American Furniture
Old Sturbridge Village is proud to be a consortium member of the Four Centuries of Massachusetts Furniture Project, an unprecedented partnership among eleven institutions that celebrates the craft and industry, tradition and innovation of Massachusetts furniture-making through a series of exhibitions, symposia, public programs, and a dedicated web site. This group includes the Colonial Society of Massachusetts; Concord Museum; Fuller Craft Museum; Historic Deerfield; Historic New England; Massachusetts Historical Society; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; North Bennet Street School; Old Sturbridge Village; Peabody Essex Museum; and Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library. We are excited to have our exhibit Delightfully Designed—The Furniture and Life of Nathan Lombard celebrate the robust furniture-making traditions of our local area. Old Sturbridge Village will host numerous programming events that relate our Nathan Lombard to furniture-making in Massachusetts.
Collectors’ Forum
To celebrate the opening of the exhibit, OSV will host a Collectors' Forum on Saturday, October 19 inspired by this exhibit. Join us for a day of discussions and demonstrations celebrating Nathan Lombard and contemporaries.
Woodworking Demonstrations
Artisans from the North Bennet Street School will provide ongoing demonstrations during select days over the course of the exhibit for guests in the Visitor Center. Come learn about early woodworking techniques such as sand shading, carving, and inlay. See how historic woodworking practices are carried out by today’s skilled artisans.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Curator’s Tours
Get an insider’s perspective on OSV’s exhibit Delightfully Designed – The Furniture and Life of Nathan Lombard. Tour the exhibit with a member of the curatorial staff. Explore Lombard’s furniture, view family artifacts, and hear family stories about the man behind this extraordinary furniture. Tours at 10:00 am; please meet at the entrance to the exhibit in the Visitor Center.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Saturday, April 26, 2014
