AN IMPORTANT CHIPPENDALE CARVED AND FIGURED MAPLE SLANT-FRONT DESK, Possibly New Hampshire, Circa 1790

Israel Sack, Inc., New York;
Mr. and Mrs. Lammot duPont Copeland, Mount Cuba, Delaware;
Sotheby's New York, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Lammot duPont Copeland, January 19, 2002, lot 347; sold for $203, 750
Leigh Keno American Antiques, New York;

Brasses replaced; old re-finish, some dirt in patina; infilled plugs to ends of drawer dividers at joins with case sides; some knee returns replaced; proper right side panel with deep scratches; appropriate wear throughout; two upper left small drawer with patch across upper lip.
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 exuberantly carved desk is a rare survival of blockfront shell-carved furniture from the Connecticut River Valley with a unique design influenced by contemporary Massachusetts and Rhode Island furniture. It is illustrated in Albert Sack, Fine Points of Furniture, as "one of the great masterpieces of curly maple furniture and a study in bold original design."¹

Philip Zimmerman conducted an analysis of the desk in 1996 and concluded that its shallow blocking is similar to that found on the upper case drawer fronts of a cherry chest-on-chest with a history of descent in the Trumbull family of Norwich, Connecticut.² Other pieces with related shallow blocking include a cherry chest of drawers with a history in the Sheldon family of Deerfield and a high chest inscribed "Lancaster, Massachusetts" once owned by the Honorable John Chandler (1720-1800) of Petersham, Massachusetts.³ The latter was sold in these rooms, January 29, 1994, The Bertram K. Little and Nina Fletcher Little Collection, sale 6526, lots 428 and 429.

¹ Albert Sack, Fine Points of Furniture, New York, 1950, p. 145.
² See William Voss Elder III and Jayne Stokes, American Furniture, 1680-1880, 1987, p. 80, no. 54.
³ See The Great River: Art and Society of the Connecticut Valley, 1635-1850, 1985, no. 104, p. 223.