拍品 1537
  • 1537

IMPORTANT FEDERAL TURNED AND JOINED POLYCHROME PAINT DECORATED PINE TRADE SIGN, BRUNSWICK, MAINE, DATED 1802 |

估價
30,000 - 50,000 USD
招標截止

描述

  • Height 39 3/4 in. by Width 28 1/2 in. by Depth 2 in.
inscribed 1802 and R Estabrooks; lacking central finial.

來源

Parke Bernet, New York, Early American Furniture: The Major Portion of Stock of Helena Penrose, New York, February 5, 1960, sale 1948, lot 41;
Harvey and Isobel Kahn;
Northeast Auctions, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, August 19, 2006, lot 894.

展覽

New York, Museum of American Folk Art, Eight Great Masterpieces of Folk Art, 1971;
Amherst, Massachusetts, Mead Art Building, Amherst College, American Folk Art, October 1-30, 1974, cat. no. 15.

Condition

One scroll cracked and reglued. Paint appears to be untouched other than reserves where the name and date was changed from "1797" and "C. Foot" to "1802" and "R Estabrooks." Lacking a portion of central finial plinth and finial.
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

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, trade signs helped identify local establishments licensed to provide entertainment to travelers, with entertainment being the period term for essential services including food, drink, and lodging as well as feeding and stabling horses. The proprietors were required to mark these dwellings with a sign and extant period examples usually display the owners name and the date the license was first granted. Signs of this type were the collaborative effort of a woodworker, sign painter and blacksmith. Most survive with multiple paint layers since they were often repainted after a business changed hands or if the sign became damaged or faded by the weather. As the volume of travel increased, innkeeping became more commercial and signs became marketing tools. Here the anchor was likely intended to solicit the patronage of sailors. This double-sided tavern sign of the post and rails type incorporates a fashionable shield, a motif that became popular for tavern signs made during the Federal period. The name “R. Estabrooks” and the date “1802” replace the name “C. Foot” and earlier date of “1797.” This sign perhaps advertises an establishment operated by a member the Estabrook family of Brunswick, Maine. One prominent family member -- Colonel Thomas S. Estabrook – came to Brunswick in 1801 and operated a bakery before engaging in trade. He was one of the first mail-carriers between Brunswick and Augusta and ran the first passenger coach between these towns. He was a Freemason, a fireman and started the first light infantry company, where he was a commander. He served in the War of 1812 and later operated a tavern in Brunswick from 1815 to 1817. This tavern was built in 1802, the same year that Bowdoin College opened its doors. It served as a public meeting place, an inn and restaurant, a place where students could pick up packages and mail, and a store where candles, glassware, pots and pans, coffee, tea and other items were sold.

For further discussion of early American tavern signs, see Susan Schoelwer, ed., Lions, Eagles and Bulls: Early American Tavern and Inn Signs from the Connecticut Historical Society (Hartford, Connecticut, 2000).