A Classical Carved and Figured Mahogany and Satinwood Cylinder Desk, Attributed to Joseph B. Barry (1757-1838), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Circa 1815

Judith Hollander, Mount Kisco, New York;

Stair Galleries, Hudson New Yok, Principles of Design: The Collections of Judith Hollander and Alan Wanzenberg, April 2, 2016, lot 28;

New Orleans Auction Galleries, New Orleans, Louisiana, New Orleans Auction, July 24, 2016, lot 875.

Joseph B. Barry (1757-1838), a London and Dublin trained cabinetmaker, was a very successful Philadelphia craftsman. His first mention is in the Philadelphia directory in 1794. Barry maintained a shop in Philadelphia till 1844. This chest is very similar to two chests illustrated in Donald Fennimore and Robert Trump’s article on Joseph Barry in the May 1989 issue of Magazine Antiques, pp.1216-7. In the March 30, 1815 issue of the Philadelphia Aurora General Advertiser he states that he would like to sell “3 pair Eliptic Bureaus, columns and Egyptian figures.” This chest differs from the other two by having the delicately carved heads facing forward rather than sideways. Robert Trump has speculated that Barry may have formed a working relationship with William Rush, a highly regarded Philadelphia carver, and that Rush carved the majority of the figureheads, feet and other decoration on Barry’s various forms of furniture (see “Joseph B. Barry: Philadelphia Cabinetmaker”, Magazine Antiques, January 1975, pp. 159-63).