The Van Ness Family very fine and rare figured mahogany spider-leg drop-leaf table, New York, New York circa 1760

appears to retain its original finish and hardware.

The Van Ness family of New York;
John S. Walton, Inc.

Proper right front leg with gouge marks; there is a 1 1/2-inch chip to rule joint on proper right side; a 1 1/4-inch chip to rule joint on proper left side; secondary wood is poplar; stop block for leg is taped inside drawer
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.

Though a common form in England, American spider-leg gate-leg tables are extremely rare. One of five tables known with square leaves, a drawer and very similar slender turned legs, the present example is exceptional for its width, old surface and vasiform feet. The poplar secondary woods combined with its history in the Van Ness family suggest it originated in New York.

The four other extant examples exhibit pad feet. One in a private collection made in Newport was included in the Bernard & S. Dean Levy exhibition, An American Tea Party, held from October 19-November 5, 1988 and illustrated in the accompanying catalogue as no. 12, p. 20. Three others are of New York origin. One in the collection of the Shelburne Museum is illustrated in Helen Comstock, American Furniture, as fig. 391. Another example was in the exhibition, Furniture by New York Cabinetmakers, held at the Museum of the City of New York in 1956. One was originally owned by Philip Livingston, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and descended through the Van Rensselaer branch of his family. It is currently in the collection of the Albany Institute of History and Art and illustrated in Norman S. Rice, New York Furniture Before 1840 in the Collection of the Albany Institute of History and Art, 1962, p. 28.