A Very Fine and Rare Chippendale Carved Mahogany Side Board Table, Boston or Salem, Massachusetts circa 1770

Jonathan Trace, Rifton, New York;
Leigh Keno American Antiques, Inc., New York;
Alan Miller, Quakertown, Pennsylvania;
George and Lesley Schoedinger, St. Louis, Missouri

The secondary wood is yellow pine; the top has been reset. Rear edge measuring 2 7/16 inches is replaced. Yellow pine rear rail is a replacement. Originally top was probably secured with glue blocks and nails. Screw pockets were added circa late 19th or early 20th century, probably when the section of the back edge was replaced. Front right leg has a replaced section of wood at the upper part of the leg stock to repair an old break. Crack to upper stock of left leg. Surface was cleaned at some point.
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.

Sideboard tables are a rare occurrence in eighteenth century American furniture.  In the federal period, as dining rooms became more prevalent in American homes, the form would evolve into the sideboard.

The present table is distinguished by its cove molding which conceals the upper leg stock.  Several tables are known that exhibit this very urban construction.  The majority of surviving examples have marble tops and are known as slab tables.  A slab table at Winterthur which was once thought to be of New York origin, but is now attributed to Boston, is an earlier example of the present table.  It has a cove molding below the top which conceals the upper leg stock and a distinctive bulged apron (American Furniture, Joseph A. Downs, New York, 1952, fig. 354).  A Massachusetts center table at Winterthur with pad feet and a skirt comprised of a coved mahogany frame facing is also related to the present table (American Furniture, fig. 353).

In addition to the Massachusetts examples, there are several slab tables which share similar construction details and which descended in New York families (American Furniture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Morrison H. Heckscher, New York, 1985, nos. 93).  A table which descended in the Philipse family is illustrated in Furniture by New York Cabinetmakers, V. Isabelle Miller, Museum of the City of New York, 1956, no. 36.  A table which descended in the Mansell family is illustrated in Antiques, May 1937, p. 229.  A slab table at Colonial Williamsburg may also be of New York origin based on its similarities to the foregoing tables (Furniture of Williamsburg and Eastern Virginia 1710-1790, Wallace B. Gusler, Richmond, 1979, fig. 123).

Other sideboard tables with wooden tops include a Newport example in the Ott collection that is believed to have been made by John Townsend.  It has square, stop-fluted straight legs (The Magazine Antiques, May 1975, p. 941).