The Bulkeley Family Chippendale Inlaid and Carved Cherrywood Desk and Bookcase, Connecticut, circa 1800

Descended in the Bulkeley family of Connecticut. Rev. Peter Bulkeley (1583-1659), the patriarch of this family, emigrated to Concord, Massachusetts from Odell, England in 1635. He helped settle Concord and served as Minister of the Concord Church at Cambridge;
Frances Virginia Bulkeley (1850-1923) and her husband John Hoyt Perry (1848-1928) of Southport, Connecticut;
Virginia Bulkeley Perry, their daughter;
To the present owner

white pine is the secondary wood, 1 ½ by ¾ in. patch to proper right batton of lid; ¾ by 36 in. filler strip to back board for shrinkage; an inch wide corner patch to proper right side of cornice; 1 ½ inch long patch to proper left side cornice; retains key; interior of doors with later bracing and added glue blocks to stabilize panel
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.

This desk-and-bookcase displays a Rococo style form overlaid with inlaid decoration in the Federal style. The steep bonnet with a scrolled pediment ending in rosettes, dentil molding, and carved tympanum fan follow some of the vocabulary of furniture made in Colchester by craftsmen who widely disseminated the style throughout the Connecticut River Valley. By the 1790s, craftsmen working in this style frequently mixed and matched elements from different shop traditions, making precise classification difficult. This resulted in a body of furniture exhibiting dramatic variations in design, decoration and construction.

The present desk exhibits circular light-and-darkwood inlays and quarter fans -- hallmarks of the emerging Federal style -- that were perhaps inspired by coastal Massachusetts work. Similar inlaid decoration is found on a bowfront bureau in a private collection that was probably made in Hartford County.¹ The dentil molding of this desk is distinctive for its articulation in a stepped effect while the gadrooning is applied to the front apron with carving that does not extend to the foot brackets. Related gadrooning is found on a chest of drawers possibly made in the Farmington Valley of Connecticut by a craftsman trained in the Wethersfield or Chapin styles.²

The interior of this desk is comprised of a series of cubbyholes and drawers surrounding a recessed open section perhaps intended for a ledger or important papers. A similar desk interior also with a recessed open section is found on a bonnet-top desk and bookcase first owned by Hannah Howell and Nathan Peirson of Richmond, Massachusetts.³ The Peirson desk is attributed to Calvin Willey of Lenox, Massachusetts and is currently in the collection of the Connecticut Governor's Residence Conservancy. Another desk with a related interior displaying two recessed sections was probably originally owned by John I. Wells of Hartford, and is attributed to him on the basis of its direct descent in his family.⁴ A second desk attributed to Wells exhibits the same interior.⁵

¹ See Thomas and Alice Kugelman, with Robert Lionetti, Connecticut Valley Furniture, Hartford, 2005, cat. no. 182, p. 395.
² See ibid, no. 160, p. 347.
³ See ibid, no. 110, p. 245.
⁴ See ibid, no. 170, p. 372.
⁵ See ibid, no. 170A, p. 373.