Octagonal stand
Northern New England
1810-1830
Measurements
28-1/4 in x 20-5/8 in x 19-1/2 in; top: 20-5/8 in x 13-5/8 in
Materials
Birch
Credit Line
Historic Odessa Foundation, gift of H. Rodney Sharp
Accession Number
1959.3766
Condition Notes
One of the three legs has a split near the pillar that is repaired with a screw.
Provenance
Ex coll. H. Rodney Sharp
Comments
This delightful tilt-top stand embodies New England federal design vocabulary but with unusual variations in both design and construction. It is grain-painted in shades of brown. The top is painted with octagonal bands resembling inlays around the edge and a six-pointed star motif within a circle and a larger diamond centered in the top. The patterns of grain-painting in the top suggest veneers. The top pivots on wood pins between a narrow board attached to the pillar (with a single through-tenon) and wood cleats nailed in place. A turned pin secures the table top in the down position. The pillar is a cylinder that swells near the top, creating a novel turning profile. Similarly, the “urn” at the bottom has a disk-like cap. The three S shaped legs, which turn downward at the floor and are dovetailed into the bottom of the pillar, do not vary in thickness, as do most other examples. Use of the wood pin in place of a metal catch, or “snap” as it was called, to hold the top in the down position reinforces a non-urban origin for this table. Visual identification of wood as birch suggests a likely origin in Northern New England.