The Byrdcliffe Arts & Crafts Colony

Jane Byrd McCall Whitehead and Ralph Radcliffe-Whitehead, founders of the Byrdcliffe Arts & Crafts Colony, Woodstock, NY
Thence by descent 
Brigg's Auction Inc., Boothwyn, PA, May 20, 2002, lot 145
Acquired from the above by the present owner

The Byrdcliffe Arts & Crafts Colony, exh. cat., p. 25, no. 5 (for a related example of the form)
Robert Edwards, "The Utopias of Ralph Radcliffe Whitehead," The Magazine Antiques, January 1985, p. 267 (for a related example of the form)
Wendy Kaplan, The Art That is Life:  The Arts & Crafts Movement, 1875-1920, Boston, 1987, pp. 34 (for a related cabinet with carved maple leaves in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art) and p. 229 (for a related example of the form)
Robert Edwards, "Furniture designed at the Byrdcliffe Arts and Crafts Colony," The Magazine Antiques, May 2003, p. 111 (for the present lot illustrated)
Nancy E. Greene, ed., Byrdcliffe:  An American Arts and Crafts Colony, Ithaca, 2004, p. 4 (for the Metropolitan's cabinet), and pp. 74, 167 and 172-173 (for related examples of the form) 

Overall in very good condition. The cabinet appears to retain its original green stain throughout, as well as its polychrome stain to the carved maple leaf panels. In some select areas, this finish appears slightly lighter/thinner due to natural wear on the piece. In a few isolated areas, this finish appears to be enhanced, most notably in a few isolated areas over edge wear and abrasions. The carved panels are in beautiful condition, displaying fine crisp carving and well-preserved coloration to the polychrome stain. The wood surfaces throughout with expected light surface scratches, abrasions, edge wear with some small associated losses, and with occasional surface discolorations and faint water marks consistent with age and use. The top of the cabinet with scattered traces of water staining and discolorations, and with some minor warping to the top two boards. The cabinet retains its original patinated metal hardware and escutcheon plates, which show light surface wear and minor discolorations. The front surfaces of the two upper doors with a few small dark stains. The interior of the upper cabinet with surface wear and finish losses to the bottom board, and with some light transparent staining and minor surface residue to the bottom boards and interior cabinet doors. The bottom boards on the interior with minor warping. The four lower drawer interiors with a few minor light transparent stains on the bottom boards. With period key. An outstanding example of this rare Byrdcliffe cabinet form.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Byrdcliffe Arts & Crafts Colony furniture was produced between the fall of 1903, when the colony opened, until the beginning of 1905. The small size of the woodworking shop and the short period of production limited the number of completed pieces. Today fewer than fifty pieces exist and most of those, including the present lot, remained at the Whitehead's home, "White Pines," until 1984 when they were removed from the house.  

The present lot is one of only four known examples of this large cabinet form, each with varying finishes and decoration on the cupboard panels. Of the three other known examples, one is in the collection of the Byrdcliffe Arts and Crafts Colony of the Woodstock Guild, another is in the collection of Two Red Roses Foundation and the third is the collection of American Decorative Arts 1900 Foundation, New York.

While the Colony fonder Ralph Whitehead himself designed most of the furniture, various Byrdcliffe artists like Dawson Dawson-Watson, Victor Andersen, Edna Walker and Zulma Steele designed the decorations. The polychrome maple leaf panels of the present lot were designed by Zulma Steele, an important figure in the Byrdcliffe Arts & Crafts Colony who was known for her conventionalized designs inspired by natural forms indebted to the design movements of Britain and Europe as well as the American Arts & Crafts style.