拍品 855
  • 855

AN EXCEPTIONAL WILLIAM AND MARY TURNED AND JOINED WALNUT GATELEG TABLE, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, CIRCA 1725 |

估價
80,000 - 120,000 USD
招標截止

描述

  • Height 29 in. by Width (open) 65 in. by Depth 55 1/4 in.; Width (closed) 22 1/4 in.; 73.7 by 165.1 by 140.3 cm.
appears to retains its original surface, undisturbed brass hinges and two drawers.

來源

John S. Walton, New York, June 1972;
Vogel Collection no. 153.

Condition

Overall exceptional condition. Wear, discoloration and minor losses commensurate with age and use. Age cracks to the top board and to the leaves. Secondary wood: White pine
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.

拍品資料及來源

Referenced in 18th century inventories as “walnut oval tables” and used for dining, Baroque style oval-topped tables with falling leaves and pivoting, turned gate legs were manufactured in America from the 1660s and popular along the entire Atlantic seaboard. Known today as “drop-leaf” or “gateleg” tables, such tables were constructed with pronounced turnings intended to harmonize with the sets of caned or leather-upholstered chairs used with them (David Barquist, American Tables and Looking Glasses, 1992, p. 119). Of immense size and stature, this gateleg table stands as one of the greatest and largest examples of its form made in Boston. Constructed with a turned walnut base and top measuring 65 ¼ in. when open, it survives in a remarkable condition retaining its original surface and brass hinges attached with rosehead nails. The profiles of the elaborate leg and stretcher turnings conform to a style regularly associated with early 18th century Boston turners. Further, the refined dovetailing of the original drawers and the double-pinned joinery are also more typical of urban craftsmanship.

Two other closely related Boston gateleg tables are known and collectively, these three tables likely represent the same shop tradition. One in the collection of the Wolfeboro Historical Society was owned by Royal Governor John Wentworth (1737-1820) at his estate in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire (see Brock Jobe, Portsmouth Furniture (Boston: Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, 1993): no. 53, p. 237). Made of costly mahogany, the Wentworth table is of a similar large size, with the top measuring 60 in. in diameter and a height of 29 ¼ in. It features virtually identical construction and design details, including a similarly complex pattern of baluster-and-ring turnings. The Wentworth table also survives in a fine state of preservation, retaining its original brass hinges secured with screws and rosehead nails.  Another Boston gateleg table from this group is in the collection of Historic New England (see Brock Jobe and Myrna Kaye, New England Furniture: The Colonial Era (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1984): no. 58, pp. 268-270). Made of walnut, it follows the same design, construction, and dimensions as this table and the Wentworth example. It is of identical height with a top measuring 64 5/8”. Refinished and with replaced hinges, it has a drawer that is dovetailed at the front and nailed at the back like the drawer of the Wentworth table rather than dovetailed at both ends as seen on the drawers of this example.