Worktable

CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Worktable
Datec. 1800–1830
Made inSalem, Massachusetts, United States
MediumMahogany; mahogany, northern white cedar, and eastern white pine
Dimensions28 1/8 × 22 1/4 × 19 1/4 in. (71.4 × 56.5 × 48.9 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Miss Ima Hogg
Object numberB.61.97
Current Location
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Mcintire Bedroom
On view

Explore Further

Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
Description

In 1807 Samuel Mclntire billed the Salem cabinetmaker Jacob Sanderson for “Reeding & Carving 4 legs for worktable.” Although the Bayou Bend table cannot be documented to a specific carver or cabinetmaker, it, too, provides insight into the pivotal role of specialists in the furniture trade. The benefits of this arrangement ensured efficient, high-quality workmanship and, equally important, a more cost-effective production. While the carving on this table cannot be assigned to a specific hand, the articulation of the leaves corresponds to two pieces of documented Salem furniture. While the ornament on all three is similar, their turnings vary, suggesting the participation of as many as three different turners.

Technical notes: Mahogany; mahogany (drawer divider), northern white cedar (drawer sides), eastern white pine. The interior sides are fully enclosed. The top is secured with glue blocks. The bag frame is constructed with corner brackets secured by glue blocks. The stamped brass knobs are original.

Related examples: Most closely related is Sotheby’s Arcade Auctions, New York, sale 1242, June 21, 1988, lot 220. Tables with related turnings include Sack 1969–92, vol. 4, p. 963, no. P3707; Sack 1969–92, vol. 8, p. 2247, no. P5795; Conger 1991, pp. 244–45, no. 154.

Book excerpt: David B. Warren, 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. 


Provenance[Howard “Harry” Arons (1906–2000), Ansonia, Connecticut], by 1961; purchased by [Ginsburg & Levy, New York, 1961] [1]; purchased by Miss Ima Hogg, 1961; given to MFAH, by 1966.

[1] Ginsburg & Levy noted that the worktable came from the Phippen family in Salem, Massachusetts.

Exhibition History"Theta Charity Antiques Show," George R. Brown Convention Center, November 17–22, 2010.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
[no inscriptions]
[no marks]

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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

Desk and Bookcase
c. 1760–1790
Mahogany; eastern white pine, soft maple, chestnut, red cedar, poplar-aspen or cottonwood, white oak, and Spanish cedar or cedrela
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Side Chair (one of a pair)
c. 1750–1800
Mahogany and red gum; black cherry, eastern white pine, and Atlantic white cedar
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Side Chair (one of a pair)
c. 1760–1800
Mahogany; Atlantic white cedar, eastern white pine, and spruce
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Side Chair (one of a pair)
c. 1750–1800
Mahogany and red gum; black cherry, eastern white pine, and Atlantic white cedar
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Worktable
c. 1800–1820
Mahogany and mahogany veneer; eastern white pine, mahogany, and hard maple
B.69.383
Desk and Bookcase
Edmund Townsend
c. 1765–1785
Mahogany; eastern white pine; chestnut; yellow poplar, and cedar
B.99.24
Card Table
John Goddard
c. 1755–1785
Mahogany; soft maple, eastern white pine, and red cedar
B.69.88
Worktable
c. 1810–1820
Mahogany and mahogany veneer; yellow-poplar, eastern white pine, cherry, and original brass casters
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High Chest of Drawers
c. 1760–1800
Mahogany; mahogany, Atlantic white cedar, cedar, southern yellow pine, and yellow-poplar
B.69.75
Chest-on-Chest
c. 1760–1800
Mahogany; mahogany, Atlantic white cedar, yellow-poplar, white oak, and southern yellow pine
B.69.74
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
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