Federal Turned and Inlaid Cherrywood Octagonal Tilt-Top Candlestand, manner of Nathan Lumbard, Central Massachusetts, Circa 1800

the drawer bottom inscribed in pencil H.A. Rindge / Monson / Mass and Lottie F. Rindge / Monson / Mass on the backside of the drawer.

Descended in the Rindge family of Wilbraham to Henry A. Rindge (1832-1913) in Monson and later to his granddaughter Charlotte Fay Rindge Shores (1889-1964); to present owner.

Christie Jackson, Brock Jobe, and Clark Pearce, Crafting Excellence: The Furniture of Nathan Lumbard and His Circle (Winterthur, DE: Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, 2018), p. 251, no. 55.

Wear commensurate with age and use. Hinge replaced with a copper tube.
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 candlestand with an eagle- and shield-inlaid top is associated with the work of Nathan Lumbard (1777-1847), a talented and highly individualistic cabinetmaker working for a prosperous rural clientele in Sutton, Massachusetts during the first half of the nineteenth century. The stand is included in the book about Nathan Lumbard and his contemporaries, Crafting Excellence: The Furniture of Nathan Lumbard and His Circle, written by Christie Jackson, Brock Jobe and Clark Pearce and published by the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum in 2018. The authors note that Lumbard was joined by other cabinetmakers in using eagle inlays for their furniture.¹ As the symbol of the new nation, the eagle was by far the most popular motif of the Federal period. Similar stands with eagle inlays were made by cabinetmakers working in southern Worcester County and southeastern Hampden County. The eagle on the present stand is articulated with outstretched wings comprised of feathers originating from a center vein behind a striped shield with a chevron outline and above scrolling leaves with a center antefix.  The authors note that certain details on this stand relate to Lumbard’s oeuvre – such as the pillar, leg silhouette, use of a drawer, and inlay – but distinctive construction details suggest it is the work of another craftsman.²  These include the box constructed in a bulky manner with thick sides, the heavy cleats that lack the tapering found on Lumbard’s work, and the thick chevron stringing and its placement on the outermost edge of the drawer. A related eagle inlay with a similar silhouette is found on an oval stand made in Southern Worcester County that was owned by Carl Hitchcock (1895-1972) of Derby/New Haven, Connecticut.³

Retaining its original brass drawer knob, this stand is inscribed in pencil on the drawer with names of two of its former owners: H. A. Rindge and Lottie F. Rindge of Monson, Massachusetts. Jackson, Jobe and Pearce note that Henry A. Rindge, a farmer and landowner in Monson, was born in Wilbraham, Massachusetts on April 9, 1832; he married Charlotte Fay in 1857.⁴ Their granddaughter Lottie F. Rindge (Charlotte Fay) was born in Monson in 1889. Henry Rindge was a member of the prestigious Rindge family of nearby Wilbraham, where he grew up and attended the Wesleyan Academy. His parents, Royal and Roxana Rindge, owned a large Federal house in Wilbraham known as the “Century Homestead,” in reference to its continuous ownership in the same family for 100 years.⁵ As this stand pre-dates Henry, he may have inherited it from his parents who were prosperous enough to own such an expensive piece.

¹ Christie Jackson, Brock Jobe, and Clark Pearce, Crafting Excellence: The Furniture of Nathan Lumbard and His Circle (Winterthur, DE: Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, 2018): 242.
² Ibid, p. 245.
³ See ibid, no. 57.
⁴ Ibid, p. 244.
⁵ Ibid, p. 246.