A Fine and Rare Chippendale Carved and Figured Mahogany Slant-Front Desk, inscribed by John Townsend, Newport, Rhode Island circa 1765

underside of bottom board inscribed with the initials I T.  Brass hardware stamped I Gold. Proper right rear foot replaced.

Harry Arons, Bridgeport, Connecticut

Harry Arons advertisement, The Magazine Antiques 94 no. 1. (July 1968), p. 37.

Secondary woods are white pine, cedar, and chestnut. Top inch of fall lid restored, central prospect door cracked and reglued, patch to beading at location of lock on divider next to prospect door; hinges replaced. Patches to hinge area on desk lid and writing surface. Proper right front foot facings cracked and reglued. Two keys for locks are in "parts box."
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 is unique in that it has the initials IT carved in the bottom board of the desk.  A Federal pembroke table by John Townsend in the collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art has nearly identical initials carved into its back rail.¹  This desk is likely one of John Townsends early works as it shares many of the characteristics commonly associated with his uncle Job Townsend's work.  A labeled Job Townsend desk-and-bookcase at the Rhode Island School of Design also has thin mahogany scalloped partitions with bird-beak profiles, three concave drawers concealed behind the prospect door and a well with sliding lid that allows access to wooden bolts that are used to lock the uppermost drawer.² 

Of further importance, several of the cast brass back plates are stamped I Gold for John Gold who's foundry operated in Birmingham, England in the 1760's.³  A chest of drawers made by Benjamin Frothingham Jr. (1734-1809) at the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum has stamped John Gold hardware.³

¹ Morrison Heckscher, John Townsend New Port Cabinetmaker, (New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2005), p. 178-9, no. 46 and Christie's, New York, Important American Furniture, Folk art and Decorative Arts, October 5, 2000, sale no. 9468, lot 134.
² Christopher P. Monkhouse and Thomas S. Michie, American Furniture in Pendleton House, (Providence, RI: Museum of Art, RISD, 1986, pp. 94-6, no. 38.  For additional information on Job Townsend see Luke Beckerdite, "The Early Furniture of Christopher and Job Townsend," American Furniture, (Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 2000), pp. 1-30 and Brock Jobe's entry in American Furniture with Related Decorative Arts: 1660-1830, (New York: Hudson Hill Press, 1991), pp. 126-30, no. 46.
³ Donald L. Fennimore, Metalwork in Early America: Cooper and Its Alloys from the Winterthur Collection, (Winterthur, DE: The Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, 1996), p. 436, no. 307 and Donald Fennimore, "Brass Hardware on American Furniture, Part I, Cast Hardware, 1700-1850", The Magazine Antiques, p. 953, pl. V.