The Charles Custis Harrison Very Fine Classical Carved and Highly Figured Maple Sideboard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania circa 1820

Hardware replaced.

The sideboard belonged to Charles Custis Harrison(1844-1870), a provost of the University of Pennsylvania.  It was donated to Tudor Place by Charles Custis Harrison III.  The sideboard may have descended from Charles Custis Harrison's wife, Ellen Nixon Waln.  Her parents were Edward Waln and Ellen Cora Nixon.  Edward Waln's parents were Jacob Shoemaker Waln and Sarah Morris.  It may also have descended from Harrison's parents George Leib Harrison (1811-1885) and Sarah Ann Custis Waples (1817-1850).  Sarah's parents were Nathaniel Waples (b. 1795) and Lydia Leib Riley (d.1819).  Nathaniel's parents were Col. Samuel Waples (1775-1834) and Anne Custis (1775-1821) of Accoma County, Virginia.  The Philadelphia Museum of Art has a James Peale portrait of Lydia Leib Riley and her daughter Sarah Ann Custis Waples(acc no. 1950-51-1) donated by Ellen Nixon Harrison (Mrs. C. Emory McMichael) who is the sister of Charels Custis Harrison III.

Sotheby's is thankful for the assistance of Alexandra A. Kirtley in preparing the provenance.

Secondary woods are poplar and white pine, the interior of storage compartments have been varnished, drawer interiors have been varnished, there is staining and loss to finish on top, central oval veneers on door fronts with cracks comenserate with age, hardware replaced.
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 sideboard posses characteristics of both Philadelphia and New York sideboards.  It follows the standard Philadelphia practice of having a central drop section and flanking daises.  A sideboard of similar design, attributed to the Philadelphia cabinetmaker Joseph Barry, is in the collections of the Utah Museum of Fine Arts (see Allison Boor, et al., Philadelphia Empire Furniture, (Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 2006), p. 391, no. 242).  In addition, the gradrooning along the top molding is a characteristic found on classical Philadelphia sideboards, particularly on work attributed to Antoine Gabriel Quervelle.  This sideboard's New York attributes are its ribbed base molding and inverted pyramidal fluted feet (see Helen Comstock, American Furniture, (Atglen, PA: Schiffer Pub., Ltd., 1962), no. 525, Sotheby's, Important Americana, January 24-7, 1990, lot 1098, and Christie's, Important American Furniture and Decorative Arts: The Ronald S. Kane Collection, January 22, 1994, lot 373).