A Fine Chippendale Figured Mahogany Reverse Serpentine Slant-Front Desk, Salem, Massachusetts, circa 1790

Appears to retain its original hardware.  Indistinct inscription on prospect drawer.

Dr. Edward Augustus Holyoke (1728-1829), Salem, Massachusetts;
Osgood Family;
Northeast Auctions, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, August 5, 2007, lot 1647 sold for $22,040;
Clark Pearce, Essex, Massachusetts

Secondary wood is white pine.
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.

Dr. Edward Augustus Holyoke was an early proponent of innoculation against smallpox, it is estimated he vaccinated 600 persons during his career against the dreaded disease. The son of Harvard College President, the Rev. Edward Holyoke, and Margaret Appleton, he graduated from Harvard in 1746. He taught school for two years before apprenticing himself to a practicing physician for two and a half years. Later, while already a long-practicing physician in Salem, he would receive the first MD awarded by the Harvard Medical School, even though he believed physicians did not need a college education. A loyalist before the Revolution, he was so esteemed in fervently patriotic Salem, that he was left unmolested during the war, and as the struggle continued began to favor the American cause. He theorized that weather conditions could affect health and specific ailments and throughout his life kept precise weather measurements. He was a founding member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and served as its president for six years. He also led the Massachusetts Medical Society and contributed numerous articles to the New England Journal of Medicine. He was married first to Judith Pickman of Salem, and after her death to Mary Vial of Boston.