A Very Fine Chippendale Carved Mahogany Pie Crust Tilt-Top Tea Table, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Circa 1765

Retains a dark, rich, possibly original surface.  Appears to retain its original lockring.    Brass plaque attached to birdcage inscribed M.P.W.

William Logan MacCoy (1920-1943) and Adele Goodwyn (Griffin) MacCoy of Philadelphia;
Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1982-51-1, Gift of Mrs. W. Logan MacCoy, 1982

Alice Winchester, "Living with Antiques: Greenhill, the Philadelphia Residence of Mrs. W. Logan MacCoy," Magazine Antiques, (November 1954): 392. It is illustrated in the article on Mrs. MacCoy’s house, in which she states this tea table is “a Morris family table.”

Lacking several screws in cleats. Key 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.
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Philadelphia Rococo tilt-top tea tables of this quality with a piecrust top and superb carving on the tapered pillar, knees and feet are among the greatest achievements of American furniture design. The 1786 Philadelphia book of prices indicates that the form was a significant expense, costing £5-15-0 for a mahogany table like this one with a “Scollop’d Top & Carv’d Pillar” “claw feet,” and “Leaves on the knees.” Fluting the pillar added an additional 5 shillings to the cost.

This tea table displays an elegant design, fine proportions, and exceptional carving. It was fashioned with a finely figured piecrust top comprised of 8 repeat passages, a compressed ball standard, and a tripod base with acanthus-carved knees gracefully descending to powerful claw feet. It was given to the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1982 by Mrs. W. Logan MacCoy. She was the great-great-granddaughter of Levi Hollinsworth (1739-1824) and his wife Hannah Paschall Hollingsworth (1744/45-1833) from whom she inherited a magnificent high chest of drawers which she gave to the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1964 (1964-142-1).

Several Philadelphia mahogany piecrust tea tables with very closely related details are extant. One is illustrated by William Hornor in Blue Book Philadelphia Furniture, 1935, pl. 215 as originally owned by Nicholas Waln and the property of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred C. Maule and sold at Pook and Pook, Inc., Downingtown, Pennsylvania, June 19, 1999 for $1,485,000. One with carving by Richard Butts sold at Christie's, New York, Important American Furniture, Folk Art, Silver & Chinese Export, January 22, 2010, sale 2287, lot 265. One at Bayou Bend also with unusual knee carving and a plain rather than fluted pillar is illustrated in David Warren, et al, American Decorative Arts and Paintings in the Bayou Bend Collection, Houston, 1997, F106, pp. 62-3. Another example originally owned by Thomas Fisher (1741-1810) of Philadelphia also with a plain pillar sold at Sotheby’s, Important American Furniture from the Collection of the Late Thomas Mellon and Betty Evans, June 19, 1998, sale 7164, lot 2143. A closely related compressed ball pillar is found on a tea table in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (1995-66-1).