A Fine and Rare Queen Anne carved and figured mahogany dressing table, carving attributed to the shop of Samuel Harding, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, circa 1750

Knee returns restored, appears to retain its original hardware

Secondary wood is poplar and white pine; corner patches to some of the drawer lips; 1 inch by 1/8 inch chip of veneer missing on front; proper right rear leg with original breakout of bark at base of leg; knee returns restored.
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 Queen Anne dressing table is a rare example of carving that is tentatively identified as the work of Samuel Harding.  The shell with decreasingly sized stylized husks is a hallmark of his work.  Two very nearly identical examples are at the Mabel Brady Garvan collection and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.¹

Little is known of Harding.  From surviving bills to Isaac Norris it is known that Harding worked on Independence Hall.²  He owned property by 1751 on the south side of Almond Street, which he left to Elizabeth Downey of Wiaco.  He died in 1758 and was buried at Christ Church. 

Several other forms of furniture survive with nearly identical carving:  the important Charles Norris rectangular tea table in the collections of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and a pie-crust tea table in the collections of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms of the U.S. Department of State.³

¹ Gerald W.R. Ward, American Case Furniture in the Mabel Brady Garvan and Other Collections at Yale University, (New Haven, CT: Yale University Art Gallery, 1988), no. 112, pp. 221-2 and James E. Mooney, "Furniture at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania," The Magazine Antiques 113, no. 5 (May 1978): fig 12.
² Beatrice Garvan, entry in Philadelphia: Three Centuries of American Art, (Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1976), p. 42.
³ Jack L. Lindsey, Worldly Goods: The Arts of Early Pennsylvania, 1680-1758, (Philadelphia, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1999), no. 87, p. 152 and 154 and Clement E. Conger and Alexander W. Rollins, Treasures of State: Fine and Decorative Arts in the Diplomatic Reception Rooms of the U.S. Department of State, (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1991), no. 2, p. 80. Another related tea table was sold at Sotheby's New York, Important Americana: Silver Folk Art and Furniture, October 13, 2000, sale no. 7521, lot 307.