VERY RARE FEDERAL INLAID AND FIGURED MAHOGANY SIDEBOARD, Thomas Burling (w. 1769-1802), New York, Circa 1790

Appears to retain its original cast brass hardware.  Retains original paper label.

Appears to retain its original hardware. Inlay is in good condition. Lock mechanism lacking from proper right top drawer. Drawer bottom of top proper left drawer replaced. Central cross brace reinforced with new braces, as are the side cross braces to bottom. Small sections of moldings are 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.

Thomas Burling, a New York-based cabinetmaker, was well-known during his time for both his Chippendale and his Federalist style furniture. Thomas Jefferson purchased pieces from Burling for Monticello, as did George Washington for the President’s House in Philadelphia and for the White House.

This labelled sideboard is from the period of 1773 to 1793 when Thomas Burling was based out of no. 36 Beekman Street in New York City. After Burling finished his apprenticeship with Samuel Prince in 1769, he moved to his own shop on Beekman Street, or as it was then known, Chapel Street. His early labels, such as that seen on a tilt-top candlestand sold at Christie’s, New York, January 18, 2001, lot 41, read “Chappel-Street New-York”. When Chapel Street became to be popularly known as Beekman Street in the 1770s, Burling’s labels reflected this change. When he fled New York City during the Revolution for Newburgh, New York, Burling worked under the name “Carter and Burling”, and it was not until 1785 that he began to produce furniture again with his Beekman Street label. Thomas and his son, Samuel, under the label “Thomas Burling and Son Cabinetmakers,” operated out of 36 Beekman Street together in 1791, but in 1792 Samuel moved on his own to 20 Gold Street.¹  This piece, therefore, probably comes from prior to 1791 when Thomas still worked out of 36 Beekman but without his son.

Another similar sideboard, also labeled with the no. 36 Beekman Street address, and housed in the New York State Museum, has the same design mix of Chippendale, with the straight front and bail handles, and Hepplewhite, with the tapered legs ending in spade feet.²

¹ Jane Thompson-Stahr, The Burling Books: Ancestors and Descendants of Edward and Grace Burling, Quakers, 2001, p. 415.

² Illustrated in John L. Scherer, New York Furniture: The Federal Period 1788-1825, 1988, p. 8.