A VERY RARE WILLIAM AND MARY CHERRYWOOD CAPSTOCK, NEW YORK STATE, CIRCA 1720 |

appears to retain its original surface; with five turned walnut pegs on a molded backboard with original hanging devices on the back; one peg is a period replacement.

Roderick Blackburn, Kinderhook, New York, November 2001;
Vogel Collection no. 696.

Overall fine condition. Wear commensurate with age and use. Dirt and residue to the surface. The proper leftmost turned peg is a period replacement.
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.

Capstocks are a form of clothes rack that were used by the New York Dutch in the seventeenth and early eighteenth century.  Very few survive today.  Two late seventeenth century New York inventories attest to their use.  Cornells Van Dyke whose 1686 estate amounted to 1,428 beavers and had a typical mixture of furniture in his house.  One room contained a walnut bedstead with dark say hangings and silk fringe, " a walnut chest of drawers with a press for napkins atop of it," an oak table and carpet, eight Spanish stools, and walnut capstock to hang clothes upon.  Cornelis Steenwyck and mayor of New York whose home was “south of Bridge Street and east of the Fort” had an estate valued in 1686 at a remarkable £15,931-15-1.  In his Great Chamber is listed one capstock (see Esther Singleton, The Furniture of Our Forefathers, (New York: Doubleday, Page and Company, 1901), pp. 246, 253).