Charleston was the principal southern urban center in the eighteenth century. As its culture and economy were closely tied to Britain through trade and immigration, vast quantities of English-made furniture were imported into the city. Concurrently, Charlestonians sustained a sizable cabinet trade comprised of journeymen, apprentices, and slave labor. The Bayou Bend tea table exemplifies the quality of craftsmanship available, and the pervasive English influence in its undercut scrolls.

Related examples: Most closely related is another Charleston table (Rhode Island History 31, nos. 2–3 [May–August 1972], inside front cover). A table with a similar baluster support is illustrated in Burton 1955, fig. 130.

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.