VERY RARE CHIPPENDALE FIGURED MAHOGANY AND MARBLE-TOP SLAB TABLE, PROBABLY VIRGINIA, CIRCA 1780

Appears to retain its original King of Prussia marble top. Corner brackets replaced.

Secondary wood is Atlantic white cedar, yellow pine and poplar; brackets are replaced; runners are original; marble top appears to be original.
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 table is a very rare survival of a  Virginia slab table.  The construction and design of this table differs greatly from the standard slab tables made in the Philadelphia region.  The front legs to this table are joined to the canted corner rails with a complex joint which allows them to be rotated so their front face is oblique to the front and side rails. Additionally, while a few wooden topped sideboard tables survive with drawers, the incorporation of a drawer into the frieze or front rail of a slab table is a very rare design feature.  To secure the large slab to the frame the top has four large holes which receive large pins that protrude from the tops of the legs.  The size of these pins is significantly larger than those, when present, on tables produced contemporaneously in Baltimore, Philadelphia or New York.  R. Curt Chinnici discuss at length in his article “Pennsylvania Clouded Limestone: It Quarrying, Processing, and Use in the Stone Cutting, Furniture, and Architectural Tastes,” edited by Luke Beckerdite, American Furniture 2002, (Milwaukee, WI: Chipstone Foundation, distributed by University Press of New England, 2002), pp. 94-124, the use of King of Prussia limestone on slab tables made in Philadelphia.  Because of the stone's beautiful qualities it was however shipped throughout the colonies and a room now installed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art from Richmond, Virginia has King of Prussia limestone fireplace cheeks and baseboard.