- 448
A Federal Figured "Plum Pudding" Mahogany Roll-Top Desk and Bookcase, Baltimore, Maryland, circa 1790
Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- Mahogany
- Height 87 1/2 in. by Width 46 in. by Depth 23 in.
Condition
Secondary wood is poplar. proper left and right side of desk bowed. Veneer with cracks throughout. Hardware replaced.
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.
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.
Catalogue Note
This desk-and-bookcase is a wonderful accomplishment of design and form. Crafted by an individual familiar with the avant garde products produced by the Bankson and Lawson cabinetmaking shop. Only three roll top desks by Bankson and Lawson are known. They were complicated and expensive pieces to craft and were likely not commission in great numbers. The currently offered lot exhibites some of the most ornate pictorial inlays known to have been used in the Baltimore area. The eagle finial inlay and the desk's feet relate directly to those present on a secrétaire à abattant at the Chrysler Museum of Art attributed to Bankson and Lawson.1 The cylinder-front displays two elaborate inlays. One is a stag and a hound, likely based off of Aesop's fables.2The other is the lion and the bull also based off of Aesop's fables. It is until now, an unknown pictorial inlay used in Baltimore. This desk-and-bookcase represents a unique opportunity to purchase one of masterpieces of Federal Baltimore furniture.
1 Sumpter Priddy III, J. Michael Flanigan, and Gregory R. Weidman, "The Genesis of Neoclassical Style in Baltimore Furniture" in American Furniture, ed. Luke Beckerdite, (Milwaukee, WI: Chipstone Foundation, 2000), p. 62, fig. 4.
2 Priddy, et. al., pp. 76-7, figs 26, 27.