Drop-Leaf Table

CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Drop-Leaf Table
Datec. 1730–1800
Made inUnited States
MediumSoft maple and birch; eastern white pine and birch
DimensionsOpen: 25 × 28 5/8 × 30 1/8 in. (63.5 × 72.6 × 76.5 cm)
Closed: 25 × 10 1/4 × 30 1/8 in. (63.5 × 26 × 76.5 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Miss Ima Hogg
Object numberB.69.220
Current Location
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Queen Anne Bedroom
Exposé

Explore Further

Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
Description

During the Late Baroque period the drop-leaf table underwent a series of adjustments. Its turned legs were replaced by cabriole supports, and the top’s sharp edge was now molded. These changes had as much to do with comfort as they did with style since the stretchers were no longer in the way of those sitting at the table. The form managed without the pivot posts and stretchers. In addition, during this period and the subsequent Rococo, the drop-leaf table rarely incorporated a drawer, sacrificing limited storage to ensure a stronger joint between the two stationary legs. The form retained its flexibility, both in terms of augmenting or reducing the top’s surface, and when not in use the leaves dropped down and the table was placed against the wall. This diminutive example, too small to sit at for dining, probably functioned for tea drinking, gaming, and reading.
 
Technical notes: Soft maple (legs, end rails), birch (top); eastern white pine (fixed rails, medial brace), birch (hinge pins). The construction follows the standard eighteenth-century New England practice, with dove-tailed ends and scalloped molding. The top is pinned at each end. A medial brace stabilizes the frame with vertical corner glue blocks. It retains remnants of an old finish and the number 27184.

Related Examples: Most similar is Downs 1952, no. 304. The only examples attributed to a specific craftsman are assigned to Samuel Sewall (1724–1814) of York, Maine (Kaye 1985, pp. 279–84); others with a provenance or markings include Sotheby’s, New York, sale 5376, October 26, 1985, lot 38; Levy Gallery 1988a, p. 12, no. 6; and Antiques 134 (October 1988), p. 644.

Book excerpt: Warren, David B., Michael K. Brown, Elizabeth Ann Coleman, and Emily Ballew Neff. American Decorative Arts and Paintings in the Bayou Bend Collection. Houston: Princeton Univ. Press, 1998.


ProvenanceIsaac Smith (1719–1787) and Elizabeth Storer Smith (1726–1786), Boston [1]; […]; Theo P. Carter; purchased by [Ginsburg & Levy, New York, July 1954–March 26, 1956]; purchased by Miss Ima Hogg, March 26, 1956; given to MFAH, 1969.

[1] This information came from Ginsburg & Levy.
Exhibition History
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
[no inscriptions]
Marked: 27184

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

Gentleman's Secretary
c. 1790–1820
Mahogany, eastern white pine, soft maple, and unidentified inlay; birch, yellow-poplar, and eastern white pine
B.61.94
Table
19th century
Eastern white pine, birch, soft maple
B.69.436
Easy Chair
c. 1715–1735
Soft maple, eastern white pine, hard maple, and birch
B.58.104
High Chest
c. 1700–1725
Black walnut, burled walnut veneer, soft maple, and aspen; eastern white pine, hemlock, and birch
B.69.43
Camp or Field Bed
c. 1800–1815
Birch, soft maple, eastern white pine, linen canvas, and leather
B.93.3
Bedstead
c. 1800–1820
Mahogany, birch, basswood, and eastern white pine; soft maple
B.69.393
Side Chair (one of a pair)
John Townsend
1800
Mahogany; birch, soft maple, eastern white pine, and poplar
B.66.11.1
Side Chair (one of a pair)
John Townsend
1800
Mahogany; birch, soft maple, eastern white pine, and poplar
B.66.11.2
Side Chair
William Seaver and Nathaniel Frost
c. 1800–1805
Eastern white pine, birch, ash, and soft maple
B.69.427
Pier Table
c. 1785–1820
Mahogany and hard maple; birch and eastern white pine
B.69.200
Card Table
c. 1820–1830
Grained, painted, and gilded mahogany, and birch; mahogany veneer on eastern white pine with black walnut banding, ash, eastern white pine, cherry, and original brass casters
B.68.31
Side Chair (one of a pair)
c. 1785–1820
Mahogany; eastern white pine, ash, beech, birch, and hard maple
B.69.376.1